Loading summary
Transcript62 lines
- [00:00]
TurboTax Advertiser
It's that time of year again for taxes. We all know the stress of the old way of filing. You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax Expert full service I know my TurboTax Expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry. That way I can get back to the things that matter to me, like going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season. So stop chasing updates. It's time to switch to the modern tax filing Solution with Intuit TurboTax. The best part? You can get experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day. So go for a run or grab a coffee. You'll know your dedicated expert is handling it, looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve. File with confidence. Visit TurboTax.com, only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts real time updates only in iOS mobile app.
- [01:00]
Sponsor Announcer
Security and Compliance done wrong is a giant headache Security and compliance done right that's Vanta. Vanta helps you earn trust and speed up growth. No spreadsheets required. For startups low on time and resources, Vanta becomes your first security hire, using AI and automation to get you compliant fast and unblock big deals for enterprises. Vanta is your AI powered hub for compliance and risk, bringing together data from across your businesses and automating workflows so you can prove trust at any moment. Vanta scales with you at every stage. That's why top companies from startups like Cursor to enterprises like Snowflake choose Vanta Do Security and compliance right. Get started today@vanta.com Tedaudio if you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [02:27]
Jesse Granger
This is the Athletic Hockey show.
- [02:42]
Max Boltman
Hey everybody, Max Boltman here alongside Jesse Granger for another episode of the Athletic Hockey Show. Reminder to stick with us on YouTube YouTube.com TheAthletic Hockey show through the end of the women's and men's Olympic tournaments next Sunday. We're going live every night after the games. Obviously, you can also listen wherever you get your podcasts anytime. But, Jesse, we are about 30 minutes removed from the end of the quarterfinal qualifiers. Here, I guess, is what. What we'll go with for that. The first round of the knockout games, and it was chalk. We're getting the matchups that we expected and frankly the matchups that we wanted. It's going to be Canada, Czechia, it's going to be Slovakia, Germany going to be Finland, Switzerland, and it's going to be the USA and Sweden. We've had a full slate today. Like, what's your biggest takeaway after. After the qualifiers?
- [03:28]
Jesse Granger
Yeah, it's been a fun day of hockey. It started at 3am for me when it was very dark out, so it feels like it's been two days of hockey. But it's. It's been good. And like you said in these tournaments, like, it's the same thing for like Stanley cup playoffs.
- [03:41]
Arpin Basu
It's.
- [03:41]
Jesse Granger
It reminds me of March Madness. You want to see some chaos. Like, you want to see some upsets, some crazy games. We haven't really had any of that. Maybe the Finland opener with Slovakia, but now that isn't even looking like an upset. But the downside of having none of the chaos, like you said, is we've got some PrimeTime matchups. These four games tomorrow are going to be basically the best eight countries in the world playing. It's going to be a lot of fun.
- [04:05]
Max Boltman
One of the axioms from March Madness also tends to be that when you get a chalk day, the next day tends to bring some chaos. So that will be interesting to see if it comes through. The thing I'm most interested in is really how the teams that get played today compared to the teams that had a day off. And obviously we expect the teams that. That had the day off to be the better teams. That's why they are the higher seed. But I also think there's something to be said for rhythm. And the one exception is in goal. And a couple of very interesting decisions that were made. Czechia going with Lucas Do Stal, Sweden going with Jacob Markstrom. What do you read into those two decisions and what, if anything, they tell us about how we're going to see those two teams proceed in net.
- [04:40]
Jesse Granger
Yeah, very interesting. With the back to back. It. It makes it. There's. It's more complicated than just picking your best goalie. I think for sure, Czechia was playing their best guy. They were like, we. This isn't a throwaway game that we can just play the backup goalie. They played their guy. Lucas Sto stalls number one. I would be shocked if he's not in net tomorrow versus Canada. On the other side, it's a lot more interesting because to me, Gustafson is clearly the number one for Sweden above Jacob Markstrom. However, Markstrom has played better than him in this tournament, even though Gustafson's been better than him all year in the NHL. Markstrom was pretty good today. So I think, like initially I thought, okay, they're playing Markstrom to set up Gustafson to play tomorrow. But the way Gustafson. I mean, sorry, the way. Yeah, the way Gustafson is played, not great in this tournament. And then Markstrom showing up and playing well, I think he gives them something else to think about. I'm not sure who's going to be in the Swedish net tomorrow, but the.
- [05:31]
Max Boltman
Age with Markstrom would be a factor there. Like with Dostal, you like the idea of the back to back a little better because you know, he's got the young body, quick recovery rate. Like old man Markstrom might have a little tougher time doing two in a row.
- [05:42]
Jesse Granger
Yeah. 36 years old. He's a spry 36 though. Like he's an athletic guy. He is not one of these like, like he's six, six. So he's a big guy, but he is an athletic goalie. I just, I mean this is like him. This is his last Olympics. This is probably the last time he'll ever put this jersey on. Like if you think he's your best chance, I would ignore the, the back to back and just play the guy. Personally, I would go Gustafson if it was up to me. Not because the back to back. I just like Philip Gustafson more. But like I said, it's. Markstrom has made a case to be the guy in this tournament.
- [06:14]
Max Boltman
Yeah. All right, well, let's bring in now Arpin Basu from Milan. Arpin, do we have you? Hello. Good, it's great to have you. Obviously a packed slate for you here, but I want to start on what's I think going to be one of the big stories going into tomorrow or the big story, obviously Czechia, Canada. And we were just talking about the goaltending situation with those stall playing today for Czechia. But you've seen the checks play at this tournament. It doesn't quite feel like they've risen to the level that we expected coming into this tournament. I think, you know, Jesse had him picked as the bronze pick for him. Maybe haven't seen it yet, but that doesn't mean that they don't have it in them.
- [06:51]
Arpin Basu
No, not at all. And, you know, Marty Natures made it funny to. Actually, both Marty Natures and Thomas Hurdle made the same joke that they let Canada win the first game because they knew they couldn't beat him twice in a row. So obviously that's something going around the room with Czechia, but they are, I guess, rounding. I mean, it wasn't a very convincing win against Denmark today, but they got it. It seemed business like. Like they were kind of wanted to keep something in the tank for the big test tomorrow. So I also was intrigued. I was hearing you guys talk, but I was also interested to see that those all started today just because they have excellent options behind them. But it also makes me wonder if he's going to play tomorrow. Like, they do have very good options behind them. So. In Vimelka and Vladar, obviously. So. So, yeah, I think that's going to be an intriguing decision. But, you know, the one thing that we're kind of waiting for is, and I definitely, the Czech people are waiting for is for David Pasternak to kind of put a stamp on this tournament. He's had some flashes, but I really think he feels a lot of the weight of his country's hopes and the fact that they are. There is a metal possibility for them there. But now they've run into this. This monster in Canada. So I'm not gonna lie, I don't give him much of a. Much of a chance tomorrow. But we have not seen the best version of David Pasternak yet. And if you can bring that tomorrow, that would obviously help their chances a great deal.
- [08:22]
Jesse Granger
Yeah, that's kind of. That's kind of what I was going to ask you about was Posternak. And I'll lump Hurdle in there as well. I watch Hurdle every day here in Vegas. He's been pretty invisible for me in this tournament. And for a team like Czechia that doesn't have a roster full of NHL players, like, they really need their studs to be awesome. Like, I guess you. You've been watching them up close. Like, what. What do you. You don't give them much of a chance of winning. What do you think the odds are that we see Hurdle and Posternach make a difference tomorrow and finally show up for them?
- [08:48]
Arpin Basu
Well, I mean, it would be. It would be time to do it. You know, I mean it's, it's now or never kind of for them and, and pretty big blow for them actually. Like Radixa, they lost Faxa today and so he's not going to play tomorrow. So that's one other NHL guy down and like a pretty important one in terms of a two way centerman who you can put up against, you know, McDavid or Crosby or whatever and, and have a chance of slowing them down. So that's a big, that's a big loss for this team, you know, because it really like it's, I know you guys don't know about the cfl, but like this, I'm sorry, I'm going off on a tangent here but like the CFL has, you know, limits on how many foreign players they can have on each team. So really the teams that have the best Canadians wind up getting that edge. And in this tournament, these like half NHL, half European league teams, it's really the teams that get the most out of their European league guys that get an edge. And I think that's a big reason you've seen Slovakia have success. Their European league guys have played good big roles and played well. And so I think Czechia needs some of that too to come out ahead against Canada. They're really going to need their depth players who don't play in the NHL to somehow manage to, to counter the incredible depth of Canada where you have first line players on your fourth line. And so that's going to be a big challenge for them. But they did get Jan Ruda back today, which was, he'd been out since Nathan McCannon very dirtily cross checked him in the ribs and so that's a big, that's a big plus for them as well.
- [10:28]
Max Boltman
Seems like the recipe for an upset in these international tilts where you got a heavy favorite on one side and a good but certainly underdog team on the other side. Tends to include a few key factors. Gotta have great goaltending, non negotiable, probably have to get like a major penalty, power play or multiple power plays and chance to let your stars cook. But the reason that I'm the most kind of wary of this working out for Czechia is because among their stars, Canada has a line that I think can neutralize anyone in the tournament. And it's not the line that we talked about yesterday that featured Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon and Macklin Celebrini. It's the Sidney Crosby, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner line, three elite two way forwards. They can all score Obviously, they can hem you in your zone all day long, but it's also a line full of players that is not going to give you much room and certainly is going to embrace, I think, the matchup that I fully expect them to get against. Poster Dock.
- [11:19]
Arpin Basu
Yeah, pretty good shutdown line. I mean, you're dealing like. It's, like. It's just an embarrassment of riches, obviously. And really, the one thing that doesn't get talked about a whole lot when they go to the super line is it leaves you with a line of. Of Nick Suzuki. Sorry, I'm just getting in the van with the guys here. Yeah, yeah. Taylor Blun, Mark Lazarus and Russo all in. Getting out of the rink.
- [11:48]
Max Boltman
Welcome to the show, fellas.
- [11:49]
Arpin Basu
Welcome to the show, guys. So. But yeah, obviously that line's been incredible. It's the only line that hasn't been touched. But when they do go to the super line, they wind up with a line of Tom Wilson, Nick Suzuk and Brandon Hagel, which could be an excellent shutdown line as well. And then the fourth line is obviously excellent, too. So, I mean, it's really like, what are we even talking about here? I mean, any line on. Any line on Canada is gonna have no problem against any line on Czechia. But. But yeah, it's. It's sort of the somewhat sleepy Pasternak and Hurdle that if they can wake up and they've been getting production at nhs, he's been really good in this tournament. So they're going to need their big boys to really rise to the occasion. But as I mentioned, further down the lineup is where they're going to have the most trouble, I think, against Canada. Yeah.
- [12:34]
Max Boltman
All right. So because of the receding format of this, they will recede after the quarterfinals for the semifinals. Let's say Canada wins. We don't know for sure who their opponent, which matchup their opponent is going to come from. Could be if Germany beats Slovakia. And obviously everything's conditional on the U.S. beating Sweden as well. These can go a lot of different directions. But I do think that the Finland, Switzerland game tomorrow, even not knowing who the winner will face is a really interesting one because the Swiss have been one of the upstart teams of this tournament. The Finns are kind of that every single international tournament, you know, they're going to be right there to the end. They are very hard to score on, especially once they have a lead. I just wanted to get your thoughts on what you've seen from both of those two groups so far through this tournament. We obviously we only saw the Swiss today. We didn't get to see the Fins today. But your thoughts of both Finland and Switzerland and how they match up together?
- [13:21]
Arpin Basu
Well, they have. They have a similar sort of vibe going on. Each team is that Finland, you know, these guys all grow up playing a certain brand of hockey, and whenever they get together with the national team, they just know how to play that brand of hockey together. And there's just a lot of affinity between them. And it's not very difficult for that team in any international tournament to find chemistry because most of them have played together at some point in their. In their lives. And so. And there's a clearly identifiable identity to their team. They know what it is, and they know how they have to play. And, you know, I think They've given up two goals at 5 on 5 in this tournament, so it's not really. They're playing to that identity. The Swiss are similar in the sense that they've been to the World Championship final each of the last two years, and it's the same mix of guys, more or less, that have gone, you know, I mean, I think it's, you know, Yossi's been there both years. You know, his year plays for the national team off, and I don't think Meyer's been there for a while. But anyhow, that. It's what I was talking about before, where you need to get more out of your domestic league guys. I really feel on Switzerland, their. Their Swiss League guys are better than other teams domestically players, you know, and so they don't, you know, we don't know these names. Dennis Mulgin, who. We're not sure if he'll be able to play tomorrow. He missed the game today and got hurt against Canada, but is a very good player and former NHL player, you know, I mean, Sven Andre Ghetto, former NHL player, but he's a star in Switzerland. And the level of play in that Swiss league is. Is very, very high. It's the most desirable place to play in Europe, arguably. So, you know, they get a lot of foreign players, and so the quality competition in that league is higher than usual. And so the Swiss have kind of the same sort of vibe going on with, you know, a known identity, familiarity with each other. Having played together at world championships and had success the last two years, that's their advantage. That's how, you know, one of their forwards mentioned to me earlier, his name's escaping me now, so that's kind of embarrassing. But he's a Swiss League guy and he's like, that's our secret sauce is that we have, you know, we have, you know, sort of baked in chemistry already with a lot of these guys, even though they play in the NHL and you know, he plays in Switzerland. There's a lot of familiarity there. So I think that's the similarity between the two. Finland's been outstanding in this tournament. Obviously the win against Sweden was huge and so I'd be mildly surprised if Switzerland won. But Switzerland was my pick to win bronze in this tournament, so I'll look pretty smart if they win the game tomorrow. But they're in pretty tough. The Fins are playing the way the Finns know how to play. So far.
- [15:57]
Max Boltman
UC Soros really seemed to find himself too. And Jesse, you could speak to that like after the first game it was not as pretty, but he's found himself as the tournament went on.
- [16:05]
Jesse Granger
He's been awesome. Yeah, I think he's been arguably, I mean, Ginoni for Switzerland is probably the only goalie who's been better than him in this tournament. Obviously like statistic wise, Hellebok and Bennington are both up there. That's mostly the play in front of him. I think Soros and Genoni are the two like kind of carrying their teams the most. The thing I wanted to ask you, Arpin, was like we were kind of talking about it before you came on. In terms of the format with the buys, do you, do you give any like advantage to the teams that played today? I know these other teams are only have only had a day off, but they haven't played an elimination game yet. Whereas these other teams are coming off of a win a, a winner, go home game already.
- [16:42]
Arpin Basu
Yeah, maybe. I mean it's because it's not just one day off. You know, they've. Some of these teams have had, you know, two full days off and you know, Candice skated this morning, didn't skate yesterday, played Sunday. So yes, the whole rest versus rhythm argument can go both ways. I don't know who has an advantage. I guess if one of the teams who played today wins tomorrow, we could say that's why. But it's, it's really, really comes down to, to me it comes down to the goal. That's the biggest thing tomorrow. Like I looked at Philip Gustafson not even dressing as being maybe a hint that he's going to play tomorrow for Sweden. I don't, you know, I don't know if that's the right call or not, but that, that's, that's what I would kind of gather from that decision you know, you mentioned Dostal playing. Will he play tomorrow? I don't see why he would when you have such good, capable goaltending behind him. But like, you talk about genoni, that guy's 38. You know, it's like he's, like, he's an excellent goal. He's had an excellent tournament. They have played Schneeb in the tournament, and he's also played well. So I guess that's an option for them. But it's gonna be interesting to see if. If a goaltender of that age can go back to back. But because it's the Olympics, this is not, you know, this is not a back to back in Columbus and Philly. They're not traveling. They're not. There's. There's all the outside reasons why goaltenders can't go back to back in the NHL, which usually have to do with travel don't apply here. So we'll see how that works out. But, yeah, I don't know if. I mean, I think an argument could be made on both sides. The rest is an advantage. Being in rhythm is an advantage. It's. I don't think there's been enough time off for these teams that got the buy to have rust settle set in. So I don't know the answer to that. I think everyone's going to mention it as being a reason one way or the other tomorrow. I don't know if there's that much to it when it's a short tournament. It's the Olympics, you know, I mean, Leon Draisetto was talking about how they'll have a lot of adrenaline tomorrow. I don't think. I don't think the team that was off today is going to lack adrenaline tomorrow. It's an elimination game at the Olympics. They haven't been at the Olympics in 12 years, so I don't see why, one way or the other, it's going to be a factor in, in, in any of the results tomorrow.
- [19:02]
Max Boltman
All right, so take that narrative off our list. That is. That is great stuff, Arin. No, no, it's all good. Thank you for doing that. Tell Laz, Pierre and Russo they can all take a breath now. We really appreciate you doing this. From Believe.
- [19:12]
Arpin Basu
L was quiet this whole time.
- [19:14]
Max Boltman
Upset of the tournament. There he is.
- [19:20]
Jesse Granger
Yeah.
- [19:21]
Arpin Basu
Yeah, there he is. Yeah, he's finally allowed to talk. Yeah, I told him he had to shut up and he, like, looked at me and sort of cringed, not sure that he'd be able to do it. So. Congratulations, lads. You were quiet for five minutes. Well done.
- [19:35]
Max Boltman
And now you get a byline. So that's a win for everybody.
- [19:38]
Arpin Basu
There you go. There you go, lads. You get a byline here. All right, guys.
- [19:42]
Max Boltman
Thanks for doing this, Arpin.
- [19:44]
Jesse Granger
Thanks, Arpin.
- [19:45]
Arpin Basu
Take care, guys.
- [19:51]
TurboTax Advertiser
It's that time of year again for taxes. We all know the stress of the old way of filing. You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax Expert full service I know my TurboTax Expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry about. That way I can get back to the things that matter to me, like going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season. So stop chasing updates. It's time to switch to the modern tax filing Solution with Intuit TurboTax. The best part? You can get Experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day. So go for a run or grab a coffee. You'll know your dedicated expert is handling it, looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve. File with confidence. Visit turbotax.com, only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts real time updates only in.
- [20:48]
Sponsor Announcer
Ios mobile app studies show that 100% of everybody in the world wants to curl up indoors and do nothing because it's so darn cold out there. That's why many people are turning to Bombas, whose pillowy plush slippers and warm merino wool socks have been said to be the most comfortable in the history of feet. Bomba's products have been found to boost coziness by up to 1 million percent. Okay, enough fake statistics, but could Bomba socks and slippers really be the Cure? Go to bombas.com audio and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M b-s.com and use code Audio Wellness doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's just how your home feels when you walk in the door. Pura plus lets you create soft feel good moments with premium fragrances in open concept spaces automatically, beautifully and effortlessly. For a limited time, get a free Pura plus diffuser with your first scent subscription. 2 cents for 12 months, risk free for 30 days. Calm your space, lighten your day. Visit pura.com today.
- [21:54]
Max Boltman
That was our Pinbassu live from Milan. A lot of good stuff there. He did kill our rest rest conversation. So that's out the window now, but I think we can proceed without it. And we got. He hit two games pretty well, I thought. Sweet, sweet Switzerland, Finland really well hit. And obviously Canada, Czechia. And, you know, I do think that this is Canada's game to lose, but you just feel like. And I talked about it going in, like, usually after a day where everything goes according to plan, that's when you get some weirdness. And that's not based on any good hockey analysis. That's just having watched a lot of sports tournaments in my life, for sure.
- [22:26]
Jesse Granger
The one thing he brought up that I kind of wanted to, like, go into a little further was the do Stall Deci, the goaltending decision for Czechia. It's super interesting. Like, Arpin has a point where he says, why wouldn't you use your depth? I wrote a big story about how deep the Czech goalies are. Here's my problem with that. So the goalies are Dostal Vamelka and Dan Vladar. Now, Vladar is a career backup. He's been a backup his entire life in the NHL. And it's not like it was a couple years. It was. It's been a while. Now he gets a promotion. He's playing behind Rick Tockett, who coaches a system that is known for helping goalies put up good numbers. Now, Vladar deserves credit for having the heck of a season he's had. We talked to him. He put in a ton of work this offseason. Working on his lateral movement. He looks noticeably quicker. I don't want to take away from Vladar. However, he is a career backup who's having a very good year for once. Karel Vamelka is. Has been a stud for Utah. He's playing more games than basically any goalie in the league not named Andre Vasilevsky. I think he's tied with Vasilevsky for wins in the NHL. He should be in the Vezina conversation. The problem is they haven't played Vamelka in this tournament. I was shocked the other day when they went with Vladar in that game because I figured if you're gonna have to turn away from Dostal at some point, you want it to be Vamelka you're turning to. And the fact that he hasn't played a minute of of ice time in Milan to suddenly throw him in there against Canada. To me, that's a lot to ask. So if. If. If I was Czechia, the reason I was so sure that. Or so positive that Doe Stahl is going to be the guy it's because I don't see them putting Dan Vladar in there. If Vamelka had played a game, then I could see them turning to him. But I just. I'd be surprised if Dan Vladar is the guy against Team Canada, and I'd also be surprised if they put Vamelka in for his first action in the Olympics after sitting on the bench for this whole time. So it's. I've been a little confused as the way they've played it. Maybe Vladar is the older guy, so they just kind of seed to him. I'm not exactly sure, but that's. That's kind of how I see Czechia's goalie situation.
- [24:30]
Max Boltman
There's some rhyme there with Sweden, too, and Jesper Walstedt.
- [24:32]
Jesse Granger
Right.
- [24:32]
Max Boltman
Like, if you're anxious about Philip Gustafsson, like Jesper Walsted showing you he can get really, really hot this year. But when you haven't gone to him the whole time. Are you telling me you're going to give a guy his first Olympic look in the knockout round? That's a very scary idea.
- [24:44]
Jesse Granger
It is, yeah.
- [24:45]
Max Boltman
So, yeah, I think it's Dostal with a quick hook, right? Like, you go to Dostal, and if he doesn't look right, if he looks tired, then you can go to Ladar then. And I know that that's. You know, you go down to Canada and you may never recover, but. But he's your best card. He's the best card you have to play, is he. He's a better goalie, I think, than anyone on Canada's roster. And you have to play that card, even if he's a little bit tired.
- [25:06]
Jesse Granger
He's also built to play against a team that's going to have 40 high danger chances, which is what Canada is going to have. Like, Dan Vladar is a big positional goalie. He doesn't. Like I said, he's improved his lateral movement, but he's not the type of goalie that stands on his head and makes 50 saves. Like, if you insulate him well, the way the Flyers have this year, he's showing that positionally. He can take the net away and there's nothing to shoot at, and he can put up good numbers, but just stylistically, Doe Stahl is much more likely to have that, like, wow game and somehow upset the Superpower.
- [25:37]
Max Boltman
Yeah. All right, we'll get to USA Sweden in just a second. I did want to hit Slovakia, Germany. I would imagine that based on the way the schedule is distributed out, you know, this is the early game I don't think it's going to get the high viewing marks but it could be one of the most interesting games of the tournament Jesse, because you got the Slovaks. I think the story of pool play was them winning the group. Your eyes Slavkovsky having an unbelievable tournament. But. But you also have a German team that I think toe to toe on paper looks better than team Slovakia here. And does this become a matchup of the heavyweight stars of your Slafkovsky against your dry Seidel and you know you. So I don't think Slovakia can go guy to guy like that once you add in Stutzla more at cider but it's going to be a great game. And this one probably the closest. Maybe, maybe Finland, Switzerland, but the closest to a toss up on the docket.
- [26:22]
Jesse Granger
I would say yeah, it's going to be great. To me that's the one I'm almost the most excited for because I have no idea who's going to win that game. And maybe that's me not giving Slovakia the credit that they deserve to this point. But yeah, I agree with you. Roster wise I'd be interested. I don't know what the odds are on that game. I'd be interested to know who is the favorite in that game. I would guess Slovakia just because they haven't lost a game. And that's kind of how. I don't know. But yeah, it's going to be fascinating. Grubauer has been good. We talked about it going into the tournament like he's having a career year. But does that translate into this? It has, has so far he's looked great. Germany is, is amongst those secondary teams like I think that they can, they can beat anyone. Draisaitl showing up. It's like it's. Every time I look at the German game it's Draisaitle making a play. I mean he's been phenomenal. So yeah, that's gonna be a fun.
- [27:08]
Max Boltman
One in this one. I think if you're Germany you are putting dry Seidle on Slavkovski as much as humanly possible. Now Slovakia as the high seed should have some ability to avoid that matchup but you're just doing whatever you can as Germany to get dry saddle out there and cider against Slafkovsky and you try to take away real true game breaker. They have other good players, there's no doubt about it. Like Slovakia can, can sneak up on you. And here's this line from our producer Chris from that MGM Slovakia -115 Germany -105. So they're both minus money. Like it's still pretty close to a toss up, but it is a lean Slovakia there. So that's very interesting. Yeah, I think you're just trying to get your studs. You're going to use dry saddle and try to take away Slovakia's best player insider. And you just trust that you have more guys, your stutzes, your paterkas that can find a way.
- [27:57]
Jesse Granger
If I'm Germany, I'm matching Draisaitl up with all four of their lines. Sorry, Leon. You're playing 30 something minutes tonight. It's, this is our last game of the tournament. If you don't, you're playing all the minutes.
- [28:08]
Max Boltman
Yeah, 100%.
- [28:12]
TurboTax Advertiser
It's that time of year again for Texas. We all know the stress of the old way of filing. You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward, just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax Expert full service, I know my TurboTax Expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry. That way I can get back to the things that matter to me, like going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season. So stop chasing updates. It's time to switch to the modern tax filing Solution with Intuit. TurboTax. The best part, you can get Experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day. So go for a run or grab a coffee. You'll know your dedicated expert is handling it, looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve. File with confidence. Visit turbotax.com, only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts Real time updates only in.
- [29:10]
Max Boltman
Ios mobile app AI is transforming customer service. It's real and it works. And with Fin, we've built the number one AI agent for customer service. We're seeing lots of cases where it's solving up to 90% of real queries for real businesses. This includes the real world, complex stuff like issuing a refund or canceling an order. And we also see it when FIN goes up against competitors. It's top of all the performance benchmarks, top of the G2 leaderboard. And if you're not happy, we'll refund you up to a million dollars, which I think says it all. Check it out for yourself at fin AI@schwab.
- [29:43]
Sponsor Announcer
How you invest is your choice, not theirs. That's why when it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices. You can invest and trade on your own. Plus get advice and more comprehensive wealth solutions to help meet your unique needs. With award winning service, low costs and transparent advice, you can manage your wealth your way at Schwab. Visit schwab.com to learn more.
- [30:09]
Max Boltman
And then there's USA, Sweden and I said Canada, Czechia, the story of the day. I, I think it's kind of the, the story of the day. But, but these are equal games. These are both gold favorites. Gold silver matchup favorites against the two teams that we picked for the bronze, Czechia and Sweden. I thought Sweden did look better today after a pretty underwhelming pool play that I thought this was the most like the Sweden team I expected to see. I really liked the line of Lucas Raymond, Mikas Abanajad and Gabriel La.
- [30:38]
Jesse Granger
They had a gorgeous goal.
- [30:39]
Max Boltman
They did. And it's, it's a great four check line right like and you kind of have a little bit of everything. Lucas Raymond, your playmakers, Abanajad, your finisher, Landiscog, great two way guy. Get to the net. You can do a lot I think with, with that identity. And this was the closest they've looked, I think to that identity.
- [30:54]
Jesse Granger
Yeah, I thought for the first half of the game like the first period and then the first like five or six minutes of the second period, Sweden looked out of sort like they just like you can see, I mean every time they send someone over the boards, the talent is there. Like it's all the names you recognize. They should be right there with Canada in the U.S. in terms of just name and pure talent. But they weren't looking great until as that game went on the second half of that game, they started slinging that puck around and the passing just kept getting better and better. And like I said, they scored a couple really nice goals. The first two goals they scored in the first period were just dumb luck off of guys. I mean when you have the puck the whole time, you're going to get those. This is hockey. But I thought they looked a lot better. It seemed like something clicked for them halfway through that game. Now, will it look that way against a much better US Team? We'll see. But the thing that's interesting to me about this matchup is the US Obviously hasn't been tested yet. Really? They really haven't been tested by another team's defenseman. I mean they've played three games and they have played two total NHL defensemen. They have, they have Faced two total NHL defensemen. You go from that to a blue line with Eric Carlson, Victor Headman. Like they are Roberg Dahleen, they are Ackman Larson, they are stacked on the blue line. Sweden is. And they're defensemen that will make you pay if you're not paying attention to them. They like to activate into the play. So for me, that's the interesting. The most interesting part of this matchup is how will the US Adapt to a blue line that looks drastically different from anything they've played yet in this tournament?
- [32:30]
Max Boltman
I think what I keep coming back to though is that I think these two rosters were built in a very similar mold. They have the same strengths, they have the same questions. And I think USA is just a little bit of an upscaled version of what Sweden has. Sweden could win the game. There's no doubt Sweden could win the game. But I think when you look at position by position, a lot of rhyme in these two rosters. And you got to give the USA the slight edge in every single one of them. So that's where I keep coming back to the United States. But if they don't come in, if they come in at all, Rusty Sweden can take advantage. If they're not on their A game, Sweden could take advantage. So it'll be a good game style match is like, I don't. I think the US could be more vulnerable to a team that's not built as similarly as them. But if you go down like this is the kind of team that can. That can beat you with a lead.
- [33:14]
Jesse Granger
Well, right with a lead. That's the part that concerns me. The US has started slowly in every game so far. Like it the first. Now they had all those goals taken off in the first game, but like still, like what excuses.
- [33:26]
TurboTax Advertiser
Whatever.
- [33:26]
Jesse Granger
The US has started slowly in every game. Then you give them the day off while Sweden played. So maybe. I know Arpin killed that, but maybe that combined with the fact that the US and, and like you said, these teams are so good defensively and they're so buttoned up that you fall behind one nothing in the first couple minutes. Like all of a sudden this is a mountain you've got to climb and Sweden can sit back and force you to. To press the action and pinch more aggressively and take advantage and transition the other way. So the opening five minutes of this game, Conor Hellebuk's got to be a stud if I'm the US that's what it's like. Look, we've got the best goalie in the world if, if we have breakdowns early, if they're on us early, we need you to keep this game 00 until we find our game. And Hellebok's been outstanding in this game. I talked about it the other day. I feel like that that last game he played was the best. He's the game against Germany was he finally looked like the Conor Hellebuk I've been wanting to see. So he's ready for it and they're gonna need him.
- [34:21]
Max Boltman
It is an outstanding day of hockey. On the calendar I'll give you the times in Eastern time. You can do the math for wherever you live. 610 ET is Slovakia, Germany, 1040 Eastern Canada, Czechia 1210 is Finland, Switzerland and 310 is USA and Sweden. You will be glued to your couch. I hope able to take it all in. If not stream it at work. Should be a whole lot of fun all day long. And of course you have Sean and Sean with you tomorrow after the action to break it all down. That's going to do it for us. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Athletic Hockey Show. Thanks again to Arpin for joining us from Milan. We'll talk to you soon.
- [35:00]
Sponsor Announcer
Security and compliance done wrong is a giant headache Security and compliance done right, that's Vanta. Vanta helps you earn trust and speed up growth. No spreadsheets required for startups low on time and resources, Vanta becomes your first security hire, using AI and automation to get you compliant fast and unblock big deals for enterprises. Vanta is your AI powered hub for compliance and risk, bringing together data from across your businesses and automating workflows so you can prove trust at any moment. Vanta scales with you at every stage. That's why top companies from startups like Cursor to enterprises like Snowflake choose Vanta. Do security and compliance right. Get started today@vanta.com Tedaudio Wellness doesn't have to be a reset, it can be a moment. Pura's well Being collection is designed to help your home feel softer, calmer and more balanced through scent. Discover fragrances made for everyday ease@pura.com Moods if you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.