Team USA wasn’t worried about its seeding when facing Germany. The unbeaten side needed to score 10 goals to go past No.1 Canada. However, they could only get half of it as they beat Germany 5-1. “We never talked once about the top seed at all,” Mathew Tkachuk said. “None of that seeding stuff. All that handles itself.” Captain Auston Matthews led the way in this win with two goals, and he was joined by Tage Thompson, Brock Faber, and Zach Werenski. After the dominating performance, Matthews gave his outlook on the team ahead of the knockout games.
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All of Team USA’s three wins have been clean cut. No backfires, no scares, just good hockey. First, they brushed off Latvia, then beat Denmark 6-3, and the Germany win rounded out their group stage. Matthews has been a true leader, currently standing third in the top scorers tally with 3 goals and 5th in the points column with 5. While his personal goals were largely fulfilled in this group stage, Auston Matthews shed light on their team’s performance.
“I feel good [about his performance], but it’s not about me personally,” Matthews told reporters in the mixed zone. “I think it’s about the team and everybody is contributing and doing the right things, doing the little things that go a long way.”
Almost every point of concern was addressed in this group stage. Jack Hughes went from scoring just one point (a secondary assist) in four games at the 4-nations tournament while filling in multiple roles. This time, he has accepted his role in the fourth-line left wing and contributed with 3 points in the three games. Tage Thompson is playing with a “chip on his shoulder,” while Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski have been everywhere.
“I thought we had a great effort from everybody tonight from the drop of the puck. I thought we had a better start than last night and continued to build on our overall game,” he further said.
Despite the convincing victories, the USA is yet to face formidable foes. And if Sweden beats Latvia, they will be just that. Having not faced equal competition so far, there are questions about whether the team can keep this up. The team has the talent, but arriving on the big stage will be important. To do so, the team is united under their leader, Auston Matthews, despite some concerns leading up to the tournament.
Auston Matthews Gets Firm Backing After Leadership Criticism
There was a narrative that Auston Matthews is not fit to be the Team USA or even the Maple Leafs captain, leading up to the Olympics. There were doubts about whether he even fits into the team ahead of Jack Eichel. ”He can’t do it being the number one guy. He’s not a leader,” Former Maple Leafs player Nick Kypreos, a Sportsnet analyst, said. Admittedly, his performances haven’t blown those out of the water, but he has done enough to gain his team’s trust.
“He’s been great all tournament,” Jake Guentzel said. “You guys put a lot of heat on him for no reason. He’s just an unbelievable player, and he plays in all situations.” Now that comes with the territory. As the Maple Leafs and Team USA captain, the spotlight is always going to be there. The question was whether he lived up to the expectations.
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“He does a lot of things really well, even when he’s not producing that people might not notice,” Zach Werenski said. “Everyone’s always focused on his goal scoring, and rightfully so; he’s one of the best goal scorers in the world. But since we’ve been here, he’s been such a leader for us. The way he plays the game, he plays the right way, he’s always getting chances, he’s winning faceoffs. And tonight it’s nice to see him get rewarded.”
Unfortunately for Auston Matthews, those murmurs wouldn’t truly be killed off unless he gets Team USA to their first podium since 2010. If they win the gold, it would be the first one for the men’s team since 1980. Now that could put those conversations to bed. Matthews has set the tone early, but now comes the stage where leaders separate themselves.