1ST PERIOD

-The Czechs create a 3-on-2 but don’t test Gibson.
-Vesey nearly sets up Miller whose shot goes wide.
-Grimaldi is playing. He didn’t take a shift vs Slovakia. Gostisbehere is suspended for a hit.
-The USA D continues to look shaky. Slovakia comes close.
-Hartman takes the first penalty. He has been undisciplined.
-Biggs draws a slash on Sidlik to even it up. Four on four.
-Trouba slapper is stopped.
-Before Trouba chance, Galchenyuk taken out by two Czechs.
-Miller playing with Gaudreau during four-on-four fires a shot wide.
-Back to even strength still scoreless.
–EJ Hradek loves the Russian cheerleaders. He’s not alone.
-Biggs hits a Czech from behind. To the box for boarding. The defenseman turned funny, helping the call. Foolish. The Czechs get a roughing minor. So, the teams skate four on four with 13:14 left.
-Bardreau misses a two on one. His backhand sails wide. His momentum carried him into the Czech goalie for one of those dreaded goalie interference calls. Ugh.
-It’s 4-on-3 for Czech. Sidlik is dangerous with that shot.
-Huge block in front to deny a Frk one-timer.
-Gibson gets a piece of a shot. Big save.
-Biggs with solid board work to kill it off. USA’s PK has been strong all tournament.
-USA is now on the power play. Gaudreau nearly split the D but couldn’t get a shot. He is slippery.
-USA a bit sloppy setting up. Just as I say that, an offside.
-Reilly can’t keep a puck in. Where is Seth Jones? He really has disappointed.
-Another penalty for Czech gives USA a brief 5-on-3.
-Finally, they cash in! Johnny Gaudreau gets a good bounce and buries it for his third of the tournament. That’s three goals over the last two. I like this kid. He’s a good player for BC.
-USA 1 Czech 0
-USA remains on the power play. Another could really be huge.
-Gaudreau sets up Trocheck who’s denied by Bartosak. The Czechs have done a solid job blocking shots.
-Back to 5-on-5 with 6:26 remaining.
-Gaudreau’s goal is his 3rd from Trouba and Jones.
-USA doing a nice job in the neutral zone. They force a turnover and then Devil prospect Blake Pietila is denied from the left circle.
–Jacob Trouba’s Dad is celebrating a birthday. You know Trouba wants to make it memorable. He already has been outstanding with four goals.
-Czech looks dangerous here. They nearly tie it but Gibson with a huge kick out. He reminds me of Richter. Anaheim has a good one.
-Then, USA nearly makes it 2-0 but a diving block by Hertl makes the save.
-Blocks are 5-4. Devil buddy Rob is pulling for the Czechs due to his grandparents “Czech roots.” Of all the things.
-Some good forechecking by Gaudreau, who’s had a great period.
-Trouba working hard defensively against Faksa, who draws a penalty on our best defenseman. Faksa is a guy to watch. Power play Czechs.
-The two minutes are identical to the clock. How odd.
-Some excellent sticks keep the Czechs at bay. Gibson then denies Hertl.
-Strong defensive play by Pietila, who breaks away shorthanded but is denied. He draws a slash on Musil. This kid definitely looks like a steal for the Devils.
-Already nine penalties have been called.
-The buzzer sounds ending an interesting first.

End Of 1: USA 1 Czech Republic 0

Johnny Gaudreau PPG (Jacob Trouba, Seth Green)

2ND PERIOD

-Shots were 8-7 USA. Gaudreau had the lone tally on a 5-on-3.
-USA starts on a power play for over a minute.
-Gaudreau does it again! From the same area off a rebound. That’s four goals in two games.
-Gaudreau scores 28 seconds into second.
-USA 2 Czech 0
-Gibson makes an early stop. He fails to cover up a loose puck after some early Czech pressure.
-Score!!! Ryan Hartman bangs home a Trouba rebound. A great pass by Bardreau set up the play.
-Two goals in 68 seconds chase Bartosak. Hardly his fault. But he’s out. Machovsky replaces him.
-USA 3 Czech 0
-Following Hartman’s goal, Gibson with another timely stop on a low shot. He really is sound.
-Another glimpse of those Russian cheerleaders off a USA faceoff. Those outfits are wild, combining yellow and lime green. It looks so out of place. I don’t mind.
-Trouba with another point blast that’s stopped. He is really poised with the puck. Winnipeg selected him ninth overall.
-Five minutes into the second and the Czechs have made it chippy behind Gibson’s net. Lot of sticks following a whistle. Too much for my liking. You want to play tough. Do it legally. Frk with a cheap shot on Reilly. The IIHF refs missed a boarding call before. Gaudreau took a tough shoulder from behind.
-Two Czechs are in the box. McCabe and Sedlak are talking to the officials. I feel like USA should get a power play. Wrong. I guess they felt it was even.
-Jones makes a nice block of a dangerous Hertl chance. Hradek praises the effort. We catch a glimpse of Mom Amy. She’s cute. Definitely enjoying what she’s seeing.
-I can’t see Jones going over MacKinnon or Drouin. Both are scoring forwards. Defensemen take longer to develop, which helps explain Seth’s inconsistencies in this tournament.
-Gibson dives on top of a Heika shot with 13:07 left. USA continues to lead 3-0.
-Hradek definitely likes how Housley’s club is playing. I agree. They’re more sharp. The D still scares me. Gibson is able to make key stops.
-Another cheap shot by the Czechs leads to a power play. You intentionally hit Jones from behind. And only a two minute minor.
-Hell yeah! Reilly Barber makes them pay on the power play, finishing off a great rush from Galchenyuk. Honestly, that was all Galchenyuk who skated through the Czechs and then fed Barber for the easy finish.
-Barber is a Capitals draft pick. He converts the Americans’ third power play goal. They’re 3-for-5 and have shut the door shorthanded. Good special teams win at any level.
-USA 4 Czech 0
-Gibson with a sick glove save on Hertl, who looks skyward.
-Trocheck takes a penalty following two more stops from the unflappable USA goalie. There can’t be this many penalties against Canada assuming they advance.
-Trouba and Murphy combine to clear the puck. A minute already killed off.
-A great block by Miller exemplifies why the Ranger organization is excited about him. A smart player.
-Barber again! This time shorthanded makes it 5-0. Barber goes backhand deke leaving the poor Czech back up in the dust.
-USA 5 Czech 0
-Barber and Gaudreau each with a pair of goals. Trouba has three helpers. Galchenyuk with an assist as does Jones.
-Under seven minutes left in the period. All Team USA.
-Lot of Canadian fans in the crowd at Ufa Arena. You wonder what they’re thinking. Undoubtedly, they’ll be a big favorite to beat USA and advance to the gold medal game. Lot of fire power. Our guys are playing with more confidence.
-I agree that Housley is overlooked as a defenseman. He ranks fourth all-time among NHL defensemen in scoring. And as Hradek points out, he came right out of high school. I think Neal Broten did too.
-Gibson with another strong stop on a tricky shot that changed direction.
-Bardreau nearly makes it six but can’t quite pull it off. Unbelievable effort.
-The Czechs are all over Gibson’s crease but can’t finish. He is so acrobatic.
-McCabe turns it over but recovers to block a Jaskin shot. Jaskin is a Blues’ second round pick.
-Kind of an iffy play by Miller skating in front of his goalie. He eventually gets a chance but fires wide. I’d like to see him hit the net.
–Jim Vesey nearly slips a backhand in. He recorded three assists in the 9-3 win over Slovakia. He definitely is underrated. Good skater and playmaker.
-Trochek with a steal but Machovsky makes a nice glove stop.
-Grimaldi is denied. Then yet another breakaway. This time, Machovsky stones Biggs. The backup’s done a nice job coming in ice cold. His D has hung him out to dry.
-With 1:30 remaining in the second, it’s USA 5 Czech 0.
-Hradek jokes about the odd mask color matches the Russian cheerleader outfits. I love EJ.
-Hartman with a sweet backhand dish. This guy is extremely skilled. He just needs to become more disciplined. He’s Draft eligible this summer assuming they finally reach a new CBA. I won’t jinx it.
-On the power play, Gaudreau records the hat trick! All coming on the power play from the same area. This time, he takes a nice Miller cross ice pass and finishes his fifth in two games. Miller made a nice play to find Gaudreau for his third of the night with 12.8 seconds left.
The period ends with Sedlak running at our guys. You’re down six. Play the game the right way!

End of 2: USA 6 Czech 0

USA Goalscorers: Gaudreau (3), Barber (2), Hartman

3RD PERIOD

-Both Jones and Miller each have two helpers. Correction: Jones has three assists.
-The Czechs dump the puck in but Gibson gets it to a teammate who works it out.
-Gibson with another save early on a quality chance from the slot. He is very cool. If they get off to a good start against Canada, he can steal it. He kept them in the 2-1 loss in Group B play.
-Hradek called the USA start to the third soft. He’s dead on. Keep competing.
-Gibson makes a tough save on a high riser from Frk. That’s at least four chances and they haven’t played three minutes.
-Galchenyuk goes around one man but Musil slides over to block a centering pass.
-A great head man feed from Miller leads to another two-on-one. Machovsky closes the door. JT drew a tripping minor. Team USA is 4-for-6 on the man-advantage. A delay of game to a Czech player makes it a 5-on-3. Gaudreau got the party started in a similar situation.
-Jones feeds it across to Trouba, who blasts one off Miller and in. He was trying to leap out of the way and it trickled off him. That’s twice he’s had effective screens on a goalie resulting in a goal. This time, he gets credit for his second of the tournament. Miller is quietly having a solid game with a goal and two helpers.
-USA 7 CZE 0
-Still on a power play, Team USA is 5-for-7. Kind of ridiculous as another Czech player goes to the box. They clearly have lost it here.
-An abbreviated two-man advantage for 15 seconds.
-Machovsky gets a piece of a Biggs opportunity. He certainly has been solid since coming in. Can’t be too fun.
-I hope there are no more penalties. This is ugly.
-Gibson sprawls out like a snow angel as the Czechs search for a goal. They are jinxed.
-USA then comes the other way three-on-one but Machovsky makes a fantastic glove save. Good stuff.
-Back to live action with the Czechs attacking. There’s a beautiful Russian cheerleader in plain view. My God. Is she smoking. Right now, that’s more interesting than the game.
-Czech is still competing hard. They desperately want to break the shutout.
-Hartman with a nice pass for an open Jones, who lets go of a rocket that is deflected out of play. The talent is there. You can see why scouts are drooling. He’s silenced me.
-Our country’s skating is much stronger than the Czechs. They’re quicker to the puck and making smarter decisions. Against Canada, they were a couple of steps behind. We’ll see if they’re ready to step up in class.
-I caught the replay of the 2-1 defeat to Russia. They were more competitive against the tournament host.
-Galchenyuk takes a clean shoulder from Hertl, who then takes it a bit too far at the end of his shift. More penalties. Ugly…
-Galchenyuk shoved Hertl at the end of his shift and then took two cross checks and a slash. Housley’s not happy with the refs. They’ve lost control. Hertl and Sedlak have been running around all game. They should toss someone.
-It looks like Czech has a power play. How???
-Well, back to action. Hertl remains on the ice. Mystifying is what I was about to type before Hradek chimed in.
-53 seconds have already expired. Nothing doing.
-Hartman gets knocked down by Frk, who slashes him. He’s gone. Finally.
-Love seeing the kids slide down in the snow. Pretty cool.
-USA is 5-for-9 on the PP. It’s their 10th power play. Don’t expect that many against Canada.
-If they want to give themselves a chance, stay away from undisciplined penalties. McCabe and Hartman each took foolish checking to the head penalties, killing a comeback. And Hartman just takes another minor for interference.
-Hertl was set up all alone but missed. I don’t think he’ll get a better chance.
-The Czechs, who are on their sixth PP, take another penalty. Yet another four-on-four. Beran goes for high-sticking.
-There’s 3:33 left until this mercifully ends.
-The one thing that concerns me is the D lapses. It sometimes leaves gaps. You can’t do that against Canada because they’re too good. Guys like Nugent-Hopkins, Huberdeau, Strome and Drouin will bury those.
-Another two-man advantage for the Americans concludes. Murphy’s one-timer is blocked. There’s 1:28 remaining. It’s a 5-on-4.
-Hrbas takes a cross checking penalty for another USA two-man advantage. I’m at a loss. The refs had no choice. Don’t allow this to end ugly. Though it certainly isn’t fun to watch. I don’t want any of our guys hurt.
-Time finally winds down. It’s all over.

Final Score from Ufa Arena

#WJC2013 Quarters

Czech Republic 0 Team USA 7

GAME NOTES

-Star Of The Game is Johnny Gaudreau, who recorded a hat trick.
-A very nice presentation. I’ve always liked this. He congrats Dmitrij Jaskin on taking top honors for Czech Republic.
-The star spangled banner blares over the loudspeaker as our the red, white and blue flies above Ufa Arena. Nothing better.
-Jones and Trouba each had four assists.
-Miller recorded three points (1-2-3). 
-Barber tallied twice and Hartman scored.
-Galchenyuk, Bardreau and Jake McCabe each registered assists.
-Gibson finished with 31 saves for the shutout.
-In relief of Patrik Bartosak (3 GA on 9 shots), Matej Machovsky turned aside 21 of 25.
-Let’s see if the boys can do it again tomorrow against their biggest rival.
-USA vs Canada is at 4 AM on the East Coast tomorrow.
-Russia battles Switzerland in another quarter later. Start time isn’t until 8 AM. The winner advances to face Sweden.