"The coaching staff has preached simplicity, straightforwardness, and speed and, for 35 minutes or so, you saw that against Slovakia but the middle 20 minutes ... you didn't. And we all know what happened," Starman said. "It's not a hard game to play, especially with their skill level, when you make it easier on yourself and that's what Team USA did against Switzerland. They stayed outside the dot lanes coming up ice to avoid the Swiss layers.
"They back-checked, sorted out, and were accountable to a man and an area, coming back. They went to the net and kept the hope plays through the middle to a minimum. They defended hard."
Here are Starman's 3 keys to victory for the United States against Finland:
1. Support for Augustine
"I think we know who the goalie is. This is a mini-marathon but it's more of a sprint. The pace horse is not as important as the thoroughbreds and right now, Trey Augustine (2023 NHL Draft eligible) is leading the pack down the stretch. He's calm, he's composed, he plays a quiet game and he's a presence on top of the crease. He's got great rebound control and he reads the situations around him well. Barring a stunning surprise, I think he's your goalie. This is his game to solidify that he's playing Jan. 2 (in the playoff round) and, hopefully, for Team USA, Jan. 4 and Jan. 5."
2. First-line fury
"Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes) and Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) have announced their presence as a line. Each had good moments through Games 1-2. In Game 3, they were a line to be reckoned with. In Game 1, I discussed how Gauthier and Snuggerud, two hard-skill guys, should create space for Cooley and they've done just that. Snuggerud is a beast to handle. Gauthier is showing many that he might be the most complete forward they have. If this line is the feared line as advertised, it creates matchup issues and potential matchups to take advantage. Other than Canada, no one's roster is as deep as the United States."
3. Dominating on defense
"We all know defenseman Luke Hughes (New Jersey Devils) is the straw that stirs the drink on the back end. He does some things NHL defenseman can't do. That being said, defensemen Nos. 2-7 have been very good. Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) came alive against Switzerland, (Jack) Peart (Minnesota Wild) and Sean Behrens (Colorado Avalanche) are studs. Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens) has gotten better every game, and Luke Mittelstadt (2023 draft eligible) has made good contributions and pushing for more ice time. I said it before the tourney and here is a reminder: if this corps of defensemen just holds its own and does what's expected, the U.S. is in real good shape. If they overachieve just a little, no other defense corps in the tourney will duplicate their contribution."
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