McDavid vs. Eichel plays second fiddle to another Canada-U.S. world junior classic on New Year’s Eve

MONTREAL - The buildup for Canada’s game against the U.S. had started long before the two teams had taken the ice.

It began to ramp up back in the summer when both teams opened training camps in Brossard, Que., and Lake Placid, N.Y. There the focus was on Canada’s Connor McDavid, the top-ranked player for the 2015 NHL draft, and America’s Jack Eichel, the player trying to usurp him next June at the NHL entry draft.

At stake in the game was top spot in Group A of the World Junior Hockey Championship and the chance to face the underdogs from Denmark. A 5-3 victory for Canada on New Year’s Eve means the young, upstart Danes will have their hands full trying to contain an offence that came at the U.S. in wave after wave - occasionally crashing upon the crease of goalie Thatcher Demko.

The loss puts the Americans up against Russia in the other quarter-final, giving the U.S. a much more dangerous foe.

After the first period on Wednesday, it was clear that the narrative of the game-within-the-game between Eichel and McDavid wasn’t materializing. While both players had their moments, it was clear that the game was much more than two kids engaged in one-upmanship.

“To say you just want to skip past that game is not fair at all,” said McDavid, when asked about the buildup of the game. “It’s Canada and the U.S. in Montreal on New Year’s; it’s so exciting, I think we all really enjoyed it.”

Early in the second period the play belonged to Eichel, who set up Team USA’s first goal on a power play. The American captain showed strength, poise and patience, shaking off Canadian forward Nick Paul and drawing attention away from defenceman Anthony DeAngelo, who was able to put the puck past Canadian goaltender Eric Comrie.

Shea Theodore and Darnell Nurse were the defensive pairing that were entrusted with keeping Eichel’s line in check as they were matched against Canada’s top line of Max Domi, Sam Reinhart and Anthony Duclair.

“He’s just fast,” said Theodore of the 18-year-old American. “He’s got great hockey sense and he knows what areas of the ice to go to if he wants to get opportunities.”

Those opportunities were hard to come by with Nurse and Theodore – both big, aggressive blueliners – using their size and strength to take away Eichel’s space and smother him offensively. After the loss, Eichel looked like he would have rather been anywhere else than facing a horde of reporters. His answers were curt and it was clear he was unhappy.

“They just played physical,” said Eichel of the Canadians. “That’s the way they’re going to play, so you got to battle through it.

“I can get better. We all can get better. I think we’ll learn things from this loss and be ready to go for (Friday’s quarter-final game).”

Canada controlled the play for most of the second period and the early part of the third. There were long stretches of action where the play was in the U.S. zone and the Canadians dominated down low. With the score 2-1 in the third, it was McDavid’s effort in driving the puck to the net that led to Canadian captain Curtis Lazar potting a goal.

“Their D was caught a little flat-footed and I got a nice pass from (Jake Virtanen) and I just brought it to the net,” said McDavid.

He made bypassing the Americans on the ice look as easy and blasé as his description of the play. The goal needed to be reviewed after Lazar went to the crease hard and the puck hit his body and beat goalie Thatcher Demko.

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“I knew it was a good goal all the way,” said the always–affable Lazar with his ever-present smile. “But I mean what a drive by Connor. He opened it up there.”

Lazar, who won a Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings in May before joining the NHL’s Ottawa Senators this season, knows how special it is to play with McDavid.

“It’s breathtaking what he can do out there with and without the puck,” said the 19-year-old. “The stuff he does, I don’t know how he does it. I’m not even going to try the stuff he does because that’s not how I play – but that’s what makes him special.”

The hardest part, he says, is trying to keep up with the 17-year-old phenom.

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