Canada goaltender Carey Price shows no rust at World Cup of Hockey

The first World Cup of Hockey in a dozen years is set to open to all kinds of bells and whistles Saturday in the center of Canada’s hockey universe: Toronto.

Price only returned to game action last week in exhibition play. Although U.S. coach John Tortorella has continued to tinker with his lines (see below), the message has remained constant: He wants his team to play a fast, hard, vertical game.

“It’s just the way it worked out”, Tortorella said. “It could change as we go through”. The 29-year-old’s best stop may have come just 41 seconds into the game when he turned down a risky Ondrej Palat opportunity in tight. “We’re a different group, different players but we’re in our prime and it’s time to make something happen”.

Unable to create quality scoring chances against Europe, the US had a drastically different look at practice Sunday with grinder Justin Abdelkader on a line with Hart Trophy victor Patrick Kane and center Derek Stepan.

Often playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, Crosby’s line was continually making things happen and Canada’s captain barely broke a sweat.

Canada will play the United States on Tuesday night before closing out the preliminary round Wednesday against Team Europe. “(Especially) at the start until we settled in and got playing”. That was the team’s last defeat as they never lost again in Vancouver and then went a flawless 6-0-0 in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Scratching Byfuglien means the USA won’t have his big shot on the power play. The Czechs have always been an global power but their talent pool is starting to run dry as they have slipped out of the upper echelon of men’s hockey powers and perhaps should have been amalgamated with this Europe group as they have some players that are fringe NHL’ers right now.

“Whether they’re pretty goals or dirty goals they all count”, Palmieri said.

They were close six years ago, one goal away from ripping the gold medal out of Canada’s hands at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, a 3-2 overtime loss thanks to Sidney Crosby’s dramatic winning goal.

Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves to record the shutout while Marian Gaborik, Leon Draisaitl and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored to provide the offense for Team Europe.

“I”™d go as far as to say our team has a good chance because Patrick Kane is in his prime,” Team USA”™s Max Pacioretty said of the Blackhawks winger. “We had [NHL Hall of Famers] Brett Hull and Chris Cheilos shoot a series of 60 and 90-second vignettes to help viewers understand the meaning of the tournament, certain players and teams and strategy”.

Babcock insisted that Canada knows what’s at stake and won’t get “fatter” with confidence after rolling over the Czechs.

Those who think the players will have trouble getting motivated obviously didn’t watch either of Canada’s pre-tourney battles with the Americans.

There was Team Canada, pounding Team Czech Republic into submission with wave after wave of attacks.

What the USA game actually is remains a question.

We’ve seen Michal Neuvirth steal games on his own like he did in the playoffs last season, but you can only do so much against one of the most impressive forward groups you’ll see at any level, any time.

Those two words might as well be emblazoned on red, white and blue shirts or put up in bright lights in Team USA’s dressing room at Air Canada Centre.

“Listen, that’s not a U.S”.