1. Revenge: Team USA commander Zach Werenski said his gathering was holding a group meeting on the eve of the Russia amusement, where he wanted to remind his buddies about what destroyed them a year ago against the Russians.
"This is the group that thumped us out, and punishments killed us," Werenski said by telephone from Finland on Sunday evening. "We simply need to go out there and play our amusement and stay trained."
Werenski, who plays at the University of Michigan and was a 2015 first-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets, was a piece of the gathering that was thumped out of the competition a year ago in the quarterfinals with a 3-2 misfortune to Team Russia. Group USA had five punishments in the first time of that diversion, dropping into a mid 2-0 deficiency from which they never recouped.
"The one thing that stands out to me a year ago is we didn't get an excess of bobs in the quarterfinal diversion," Werenski said. "When they got their odds, they promoted."
2. No Canada (or Nylander): This year, Team Canada was the one bowing out in the quarterfinals, taking after a 6-5 misfortune to host Finland.
Canada handled a powerhouse group a year ago that included star Connor McDavid, yet it couldn't take after that gold-decoration execution, battling with misfortunes to the U.S., Sweden and Finland on its approach to completing 6th. It was the first run through since 1998 that Canada completed lower than fourth.
"I think everybody is really astounded with that," Werenski said of the Canadians' disposal. "It's such a major competition for them in Canada, you're utilized to them going far. It's amazing to see them not in the elimination rounds or decoration round, but rather the way this competition is, anything can happen."
On the off chance that the Americans can beat the Russians, they will confront the champ of Finland and Sweden from the opposite side of the section. Sweden is attempting to win gold without Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander, discounted for whatever is left of the competition taking after a head harm endured ahead of schedule in the competition against Switzerland.
3. Matthews' enormity: Auston Matthews came into this competition with elevated standards and has conveyed. He is falling off a cap trap against the Czechs and drives the competition with seven objectives.
With one more objective, he will rise to the record for most objectives by an American in this competition, an imprint held by Jeremy Roenick since 1989.
Matthews, an Arizona local, is viewed as the most loved to go first in general in the 2016 draft, and this execution is just setting those projections.
"He's such a complete player," Werenski said. "That is the thing that isolates him from different folks. He needs to win and will do whatever it takes to win. He has everything else. It's been a unique competition in this way.
