If we had told you at the start of the season Team USA would have an edge over Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, would you have believed it?
Didn’t think so.
But isn’t that exactly what has unfolded thus far?
In terms of individual performances, goaltender Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche has been the No. 1 story in the NHL this season. Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is not far behind. Both goaltenders have played superbly on teams that are exceeding expectations.
With 10 wins (an NHL record for the opening month of the season) Anderson, 28, is proving to the hockey world his quick start was no fluke and he is indeed capable of being a starting goalie in the NHL.
He has two shutouts. His 15 wins with the Florida Panthers last season represented a single-season high for the stopper who has been predominantly a backup in his otherwise spotty career with Chicago and Florida before his arrival in Colorado.
Miller, meanwhile, has been equally solid for the Sabres who are one of the toughest teams in the league to score on. He leads the league with a 1.60 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. For the record, Anderson is second in save percentage at .940 and third in GAA at 1.97.
Miller has told those interested he’s not just interested in being a member of Team USA at the Olympics, it is his desire to be spoken in the same breathe as the best goalies in the league. Based on his play this season, that should be no problem. The former Michigan State star peeled off eight straight victories before losing to the Islanders Saturday.
Heading into this season, it was assumed Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins had the best shot at being the starter for Team USA in Vancouver. Thomas is coming off a Vezina Trophy season in which his Bruins finished second to the San Jose Sharks in the regular season before being bounced in the second round of playoffs.
Thomas, however, is 4-5-0 with a 2.66 GAA and .910 save percentage playing for a team that has been ravaged by injuries. Not bad numbers, all things considered, but clearly he’s well behind Anderson and Miller in terms of being the No. 1 goalie for Team USA.
The way Anderson and Miller have played thus far, suddenly Team USA is looking like it could make some noise in Vancouver.
The Americans may not have the depth that Canada has, but it will ice a team that can score goals and depending on which veterans make the squad, there will be no shortage of leadership.
Certainly Mike Modano has slowed down, but he still has enough left in the tank that he could be a voice of reason in a dressing room for two weeks.
Dustin Brown, the captain of the Los Angeles Kings, is also a solid leader. He’s sure to be on Team USA.
The Americans also have plenty of firepower with the likes of Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Brian Gionta, Tim Connolly (assuming he’s healthy), David Booth (if he recovers from the big Mike Richards hit), Kyle Okposo, Scott Gomez, Dustin Byfuglien and Ryan Malone so scoring shouldn’t be a concern.
The defence might be a little thin, but if that turns out to be the case, Anderson and Miller are a solid 1-2 punch to have in net.
Team Canada, meanwhile, was supposed to have all kinds of depth in net, with veterans Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo expected to be in a nose-to-nose battle for the starter’s job.
It hasn’t exactly played out that way, though.
Luongo got off to a rotten start with the Vancouver Canucks and now he’s sidelined with a rib injury. Brodeur also started poorly, but he looks as though he has found his game in recent outings. After losing his first two starts, and looking like a fish out of water in the process, Brodeur has played well winning four of his last five starts and pulling to within one of Terry Sawchuk’s record 103 shutout mark.
Marc-Andre Fleury has emerged as the leading candidate to be Canada’s starter in Vancouver. Not only did he lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup last season playing behind one of the weakest defences for a championship squad in recent memory, he has been excellent thus far winning his first eight games.
All of that said, if it comes down to goaltending in the Olympic tournament, I like Team USA’s chance of winning a medal.
I might not have said that a month ago.
