Olympic Lines

[FlowerPower29]

Anyone have the inside scoop on line combos for the Olympics? I searched through Google but couldn't find anything about who'd be playing with who. For the fun of it, I'm taking a shot in the dark of what I think they'll be.
Parise-Stastny-Kane
Ryan-Kesler-Brown
Malone-Drury-Backes
Langenbrunner-Pavelski-Callahan

Kessel

Orpik-Rafalski
E. Johnson-Martin
J. Johnson-Suter

1. Miller
2. Thomas
3. Quick

Thoughts?

[Letang Is The Truth]

kessel scratched?

[Pavel Bure]

Anyone have the inside scoop on line combos for the Olympics? I searched through Google but couldn't find anything about who'd be playing with who. For the fun of it, I'm taking a shot in the dark of what I think they'll be.
Parise-Stastny-Kane
Ryan-Kesler-Brown
Malone-Drury-Backes
Langenbrunner-Pavelski-Callahan

Kessel

Orpik-Rafalski
E. Johnson-Martin
J. Johnson-Suter

1. Miller
2. Thomas
3. Quick

Thoughts?

...What? Martin isn't playing and Kessel should be on the top 2 lines somewhere.

http://www.usahockey.com/Template_Usaho ... &id=277216

[FlowerPower29]

ah, i forgot the fact that martin isn't playing. whoops. it's a tough call with kessel because while he's a heck of a player, i don't know who to replace. Its tough. Maybe put him second with Kesler and Brown and then cut Malone, bumping Ryan down to 3rd? And I'd play Gleason with E. Johnson instead of Martin

[Jagr Peanut Butter]

Parise-Stastny-Kessel
Ryan-Pavelski-Kane
Malone-Kesler-Langenbrunner
Brown-Drury-Callahan/Backes

[Kraftster]

Parise - Stastny - Kane
Ryan - Pavelski - Kessel
Malone - Kesler - Brown
Langenbrunner - Drury - Callahan/Backes

I would really like to see the Malone - Kesler - Brown as a line. I guess you'd call it the third line, but, whatever you call it, that's what I want to see.

EJ - Rafalski
JJ - Gleason
Orpik - Suter

EJ - Rafalski
Orpik - Whitney*
JJ - Suter

Miller
Quick
Thomas

[Bowser]

I believe Kesler was the center with Malone and Brown in the World Championships a few years ago and that line did pretty well.

[tfrizz]

I believe Kesler was the center with Malone and Brown in the World Championships a few years ago and that line did pretty well.

Pavelski >>>>> Kesler

Pavelski is easily the 2nd best center. Kraftster has the right idea.

[meecrofilm]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=517719

So....

Parise - Stastny - Kane
Ryan - Pavelski - Kessel
Langenbrunner - Kesler - Brown
Malone - Drury - Callahan/Backes

EJ - Rafalski
JJ - Orpik
Suter - Whitney/Gleason

???

[Tomas]

Well, since the title of the thread is "Olympic lines", here are the Czech lines as revealed today by the head coach Vladimir "Rosie" Ruzicka:

1. Martin Havlát - Tomáš Plekanec - Patrik Eliáš
2. Jaromír Jágr - Roman Červenka - Petr Čajánek
3. Martin Erat - David Krejčí - Tomáš Fleischmann
4. Milan Michálek - Josef Vašíček - Tomáš Rolinek

Roman Cervenka plays in the Czech Extraleague for Slavia Prague and is something like 5 points (with 2 games to go) away from tying the all time Czech regular season scoring record. It is expected that he will sign a free agent contract (has not been drafted) with some NHL team this summer.

[Steve]

For Russia - from a couple of weeks ago (via Tretiak interview) -

Ovechkin, Semin & Datsyuk will be on a line - and Ovechkin, Malkin & Kovulchoo will only play together on the powerplay - with either Kovulchoo or Ovechkin on the point....

[penny lane]

For Russia - from a couple of weeks ago (via Tretiak interview) -

Ovechkin, Semin & Datsyuk will be on a line - and Ovechkin, Malkin & Kovulchoo will only play together on the powerplay - with either Kovulchoo or Ovechkin on the point....

from Dejan K's blog

UPDATE 6:26 p.m.: The first line drills show Malkin between Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov. If that sticks, that would give Malkin a world-class finisher, plus the chasing-type winger -- Afinogenov never has been much of a finisher, for all the chances he creates -- that Malkin always has preferred. Ovechkin is with Capitals teammate Alexander Semin and Pavel Datsyuk. (Man, this team is just loaded up front.)

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs ... ctice.aspx

[Digitalgypsy66]

I also read on Twitter that Sven Butenschön has been named to Germany's squad.

[Tomas]

I also read on Twitter that Sven Butenschön has been named to Germany's squad.

Yep. Full german squad as announced today (per hokej.cz):

Brankáři:
Dennis Endras (Augsburg), Dimitri Pätzold (Ingolstadt), Thomas Greiss (San Jose, NHL).

Obránci:
Michael Bakos, Jakub Ficenec (oba Ingolstadt), Chris Schmidt, Sven Butenschön (oba Mannheim), Korbinian Holzer (Düsseldorf), Christian Ehrhoff (Vancouver, NHL), Dennis Seidenberg (Florida, NHL), Alexander Sulzer (Nashville, NHL).

Útočníci:
Sven Felski, Travis James Mulock, André Rankel (všichni Eisbären Berlín), Manuel Klinge (Kassel), Michael Wolf (Iserlohn), Kai Hospelt (Wolfsburg), John Tripp (Hamburk), Thomas Greilinger (Ingolstadt), Marcel Müller (Kolín nad Rýnem), Jochen Hecht (Buffalo, NHL), Marcel Goc (Nashville, NHL), Marco Sturm (Boston, NHL).

[TheHammer24]

This US team is solid, and if they can play physical, they can surprise some people. They lack star power, but top to bottom they have serious strength.

[saints11]

Don't take a penalty against the Russians! Malkin--Datsyuk--Kovalchuk..up-front...Ovie and Gonch or Markov on the back.....OUCH!

[Kraftster]

Well, since the title of the thread is "Olympic lines", here are the Czech lines as revealed today by the head coach Vladimir "Rosie" Ruzicka:

1. Martin Havlát - Tomáš Plekanec - Patrik Eliáš
2. Jaromír Jágr - Roman Červenka - Petr Čajánek
3. Martin Erat - David Krejčí - Tomáš Fleischmann
4. Milan Michálek - Josef Vašíček - Tomáš Rolinek

Roman Cervenka plays in the Czech Extraleague for Slavia Prague and is something like 5 points (with 2 games to go) away from tying the all time Czech regular season scoring record. It is expected that he will sign a free agent contract (has not been drafted) with some NHL team this summer.

Still can't believe Frolik got left off the team. Sigh.

[npv708]

Russia's top 6 is the best in the olympics at scoring, Canada's top 6 is the most well-rounded, and the US's top 6 is the toughest...This could get interesting...

[npv708]

Don't take a penalty against the Russians! Malkin--Datsyuk--Kovalchuk..up-front...Ovie and Gonch or Markov on the back.....OUCH!

Markov is probably out, at least for the first few games.

So they'll probably move Kovalchuk or Malkin to the point and throw Semin or Morozov out there.

[npv708]

I was thinking about something, alot of these olympic teams remind me of NHL teams, with the way they're constructed:

Russia = Capitals, high scoring offense, defense is questionable, goaltending doesn't match.
US = Kings, tough team to play against, move the puck well, well-balanced
Canada = Hawks, absolutely loaded team, good defense, goaltending is struggling (Brodeur, Luongo, and Fleury are all in rough patches right now)
Sweden = Pens, Amazing down the middle, decent, but not tremoundous wingers, decent defense, but lacking on the defensive end, goaltending is a wash since both Fleury and Lundquist are pretty equal.
Switzerland = Coyotes, solid team potential, good goaltending and defense could be dark horse
Slovakia = Sharks, great offense, defense could be better, goaltending is good (Halak is playing good right now, just like Nabokov)
Latvia = Oilers, same amount of NHL'ers currently playing...ba dum ch.

[doublem]

Russian lines.

Ovechkin-Datsyuk-Semin-Grebeshkov-Korneev; Kovalchuk-Malkin-Afinogenov-Tyutin-Gonchar.

Fedorov-Kozlov-Radulov-Kalinin-Volchenkov; Zaripov-ZInovyev-Morozov-Markov-Nikulin.

[meecrofilm]

Taken from NHL.com..

'Here is what Canada's forward lines look like as they are practicing right now.

Nash-Crosby-Bergeron
Staal-Getzlaf-Perry
Marleau-Thornton-Heatley
Morrow-Toews-Iginla

It appears Mike Richards is the 13th forward.

The D-pairings look like this:

Boyle-Pronger
Keith-Seabrook
Weber-Niedermayer

Looks like Doughty is the seventh D.'

That second line =

[mac5155]

sid playing with his world junior linemate - bergeron.

[Draftnik]

Well, since the title of the thread is "Olympic lines", here are the Czech lines as revealed today by the head coach Vladimir "Rosie" Ruzicka:

1. Martin Havlát - Tomáš Plekanec - Patrik Eliáš
2. Jaromír Jágr - Roman Červenka - Petr Čajánek
3. Martin Erat - David Krejčí - Tomáš Fleischmann
4. Milan Michálek - Josef Vašíček - Tomáš Rolinek

Roman Cervenka plays in the Czech Extraleague for Slavia Prague and is something like 5 points (with 2 games to go) away from tying the all time Czech regular season scoring record. It is expected that he will sign a free agent contract (has not been drafted) with some NHL team this summer.

Hockey DB claims Cervenka is 5' 7" and only 127 lbs.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=76036

I'll have to pay close attention to him when Czech plays Slovakia. The schedule maker did not do you any favors, although I think we drew a tough opening game vs. SUI. 16 of their 20 players have been practicing together for weeks and Hiller is a very good goalie. Plus they beat Canada 4 years ago.

Do you have a special keyboard or software to auto-populate the accent marks?

[Daniel87]

I'm bummed about Malkin and Ovechkin not being on the same line. I would really love to see those 2 together.