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U.S. Edges Germany, 3-1, at Men's Worlds

By USAHockey.com, 05/19/19, 12:15PM EDT

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Win secures berth in quarterfinals for Team USA for ninth straight year

Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) scored the game-winning goal in the third period off a highlight-reel feed from James van Riemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.), Alec Martinez (Rochester Hills, Mich.) tallied two assists, and Cory Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.) made 24 saves as the U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Germany, 3-1, at the 2019 IIHF Men's World Championship to secure a place in the Thursday's (May 23) quarterfinal round.

“Germany played a hard game,” said U.S. head coach Jeff Blashill, also the bench boss of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. “We had to really grind out a win and I give our guys credit. This is a hard tournament, harder than I think people realize. We got some real strong performances tonight from guys like Suter, Martinez, Larkin and van Riemsdyk, but I thought Jack Eichel really raised his game and played like he wasn’t going to be denied.”

The United States (4-1-0-1/W-OTW-OTL-L) will seek a sixth-straight win to close Group A preliminary-round play when it faces Canada on Tuesday (May 21). Puck drop at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia, is set for 8:15 p.m. local time (2:15 p.m. ET) and will help decide final placement for the quarterfinal round. That game, and every U.S. game, will be broadcast live in the U.S. on NHL Network.

Highlights

Both teams traded scoring chances on the game's opening faceoff, with van Riemsdyk sending a close-range shot just wide of the top-right corner before Germany saw a chance of its own smothered by Schneider.

The U.S. generated another pair of scoring chances through the first six minutes of play as Derek Ryan (Spokane, Wash.) saw a chance from the slot pushed away with a right-pad save before Larkin burst down the left-hand wall for a quick-wristed shot that rang off the post and away from goal.

Despite the sustained U.S. pressure, an odd-man rush for Germany ended in Frederik Tiffels giving the Germans a 1-0 lead off a feed from Leon Draisatl.

The U.S. responded just two minutes later when van Riemdsyk scored off assists from Martinez and Clayton Keller (St. Louis, Mo.). With a faceoff to the left of Germany's net, Larkin won the draw back to Martinez who then fed Keller for a waist-high shot on goal that van Riemsdyk redirected between the legs of German goaltender Mathias Niederberger for the game-tying goal.

The final five minutes of play saw each team generate a scoring chance in search of a one-goal lead. Team USA's best chance came when a give-and-go between Alex DeBrincat (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y.) ended with DeBrincat missing a tap-in opportunity at the far left post. A right-pad save from Schneider in the final 90 seconds of the frame saw both teams enter intermission with one goal apiece.

The middle frame featured end-to-end action as both the U.S. and Germany searched for a go-ahead goal.

Germany generated the period's first quality scoring chance when a redirected effort in the slot rang off the crossbar just 1:30 into play. Three minutes later, the U.S. responded with a quality chance of its own when Larkin sprung Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.) for a breakaway chance was gloved by a stretched-out Niederberger. 

Another pair of scoring chances for both teams came near the midpoint of the frame. With the U.S. sustaining pressure in Germany's zone, a blocked shot from the point sprung Germany on an odd-man rush that was dismissed by the stick of a back-checking Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass.).

Moments later, a cycling effort in the offensive zone created another U.S. scoring chance when a pair of shots by Kane were smothered by Niederberger.

Team USA's best chance of the frame came with 8:50 to play in the stanza when Larkin intercepted a clearing attempt and found van Riemdsyk at the back-post for a tap-in chance that was ruined by a German defender.

Late in the period, Schneider denied a breakaway chance from Marc Michaelis to keep the game tied, 1-1, after forty minutes of play.

The final 20 minutes of play opened with the U.S. pushing the pace in search of the go-ahead goal. Just three minutes into the period, the U.S. nearly converted when a shot from the blue-line by Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis.) was redirected by van Riemsdyk, trickled through Niederberger and slid just wide of the right post.

Four minutes later, Eichel and Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) nearly connected when Eichel toe-dragged the puck around a German defender and fed the oncoming Hughes for a one-timer chance that a German defender redirected away from the open goal.

WIth 9:57 to play in the frame, the U.S. broke through with a goal off the stick of Larkin. Martinez started the play at the U.S. blue line, feeding the puck up the ice to van Riemsdyk at the Germany blue-line. From there, van Riemsdysk entered the zone and sent a long, high pass across the slot that Larkin caught for a quick-wristed shot over Niederberger's right shoulder.

Six minutes later, Team USA added an insurance goal on the powerplay when Eichel one-timed a cross-ice pass from Kane with 3:45 to play in regulation.

A late Germany powerplay forced Schneider and the U.S. penalty kill to stand tall and secure a decisive 3-1 win.

Photos

NOTES: Alec Martinez was named the U.S. Player of the Game ... The U.S. outshot Germany, 29-25, went 1-for-1 on the powerplay and finished 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. For complete game statistics, click here ... For complete coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Team, visit teamusa.usahockey.com/2019mensworlds … The official IIHF home of the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Championship is 2019.IIHFWorlds.com.

Postgame Comments

Dylan Larkin

James van Riemsdyk

Jack Eichel


U.S. Game Schedule

Date Opponent/Round Time (Local/ET)/Result Location Television U.S. Player of the Game
Tues., May 7 Germany
Pre-Tournament
W, 5-2 SAP Arena
Mannheim, Germany
Live Stream Johnny Gaudreau
Fri., May 10 Slovakia
Preliminary
L, 1-4 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Jack Eichel
Sun., May 12 France
Preliminary
W, 7-1 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Alex DeBrincat
Mon., May 13 Finland
Preliminary
OTW, 3-2 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Brady Skjei
Wed., May 15 Great Britain
Preliminary
W, 6-3 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Patrick Kane
Sat., May 18 Denmark
Preliminary
W, 7-1 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Dylan Larkin
Sun., May 19 Germany
Preliminary
W, 3-1 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Alec Martinez
Tues., May 21 Canada
Preliminary
L, 0-3 Steel Arena
Kosice, Slovakia
NHL Network Cory Schneider
Thurs., May 23 Russia
Quarterfinal
L, 3-4 Ondrej Nepela Arena
Bratislava, Slovakia
NHL Network Jack Hughes

2019 U.S. Roster

Sights & Sounds

IIHF Tournament Website

U.S. Men's Worlds History


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