TORONTO – Sixty minutes from World Cup elimination and Team USA is still trying to find chemistry within its lines.
The lab opened on Labour Day and it’s been an ongoing chore ever since, a problem underscored when you look at the Americans’ opponent Tuesday night, Canada. No trio of American forwards has been able to click half as well as the Marchand-Crosby-Bergeron that leads the home team.
Head coach John Tortorella began with a top line of Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski and Max Pacioretty, but it didn’t last long. James van Riemsdyk began as the 13th forward; now he’s the No. 1 left wing, playing with Pavelski and T.J. Oshie.
“I’ve played with pretty much everyone so far,” Kane said.
Kane was asked which teammate he’s meshed with best on the ice but didn’t name one.
“With a lineup like we have, we’re not too concerned who you’re playing with,” he said.
Counting three pre-tournament games and two real ones, nine different healthy players have been scratched. The U.S. power play and penalty killing units have also been tinkered with, and yet Canada has more or less stuck with the same lineup plan since camp.
Thirty-goal scorer Kyle Palmieri and the frightening Dustin Byfuglien – who’s been used at defence and forward and notably kept off the ice for Saturday’s loss to Europe – draw in for tonight’s contest. Brandon Dubinsky and Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets will sit.
“It kills me to take (Crosby irritant Dubinsky) out. He was killing penalties pretty good for us. We wanted to put a goal scorer in with Kyle,” Tortorella said. “We sat around for a couple hours bouncing things around, and this is what we came to.”
David Backes thought he might have been the odd man out as the roster is forever churning in Tortorella’s Vitamix.
“He could change his mind 15 times,” Backes said. “There’s chemistry that needs to develop, but there’s also chemistry that’s just not going to happen and you need to switch it up or give the guys a jolt in the middle of the game.”
“You’d love to have four lines that you’re rolling and you’re scoring and are trusted in all situations, but that’s just not where we’re at at this moment, and we’ve got to deal with reality.”
A surprising bit of reality: Justin Abdelkader, who started off as a fourth-liner, has been promoted to the top six. His job will be to gather loose pucks and feed them to Kane.
“I have a pretty straightforward game. I need to get on the forecheck, use my size, use my physicality to create opportunities for my linemates and myself,” Abdelkader said. “Wherever he uses me, wherever he puts me, I’ll be ready.”
He better, or else he’ll sit. That’s the message from the bench.
“If guys aren’t ready to play, it’s going to be a short bench,” Tortorella said. “We got to win the game.”
Team USA practice lines:*
Van Riemsdyk-Pavelski-Oshie
Abdelkader-Stepan-Kane
Parise-Kesler-Wheeler
Pacioretty-Backes-Palmieri
*subject to change
