With all the different Dallas Stars players we've covered so far during the first day of the men's hockey tournament, it wouldn't be complete if we didn't talk about Mr. Radek Faksa and Team Czechia. I actually feel bad for the team, since they have to face the behemoth of international hockey, Team Canada. Talk about getting a terrible draw, and then, on top of that, having to play the country with the most depth out of everyone at the Olympics.
Even though Team Czechia is definitely the underdog headed into this morning's matchup, don't be surprised if they pull off a miraculous upset against the behemoth. They do have some solid NHL players, such as David Pastrnak and other, whoothers want to prove that you don't need the flashiest team to win a gold medal. Let's take a look at the four keys to this morning's game between Team Czechia and Team Canada.
Team Czechia vs. Team Canada Preview: 4. Clean the Gravy Bowl
I would not be surprised if Radek Faksa is on one of the bottom lines to begin the game. That's what he's good at. He's the gritty player who likes to kill penalties and generate scoring chances by applying defensive pressure. That is what you are going to see from Faksa this morning when he takes the ice. There are plenty of scorers spread throughout this Team Czechia lineup. If Faksa does his thing as he does with the Dallas Stars, Team Canada might be in some trouble.
Team Czechia vs. Team Canada Preview: 3. Charge Jordan Binnington
Team Czechia has to pressure Jordan Binnington if they want to upset Canada this morning. There's no way they will pull off the upset if they just let him ease into the game. I'm sure the Czechs will overpower their top line and give them a lot of minutes this morning. Don't be surprised if there are three high-caliber NHL players on the top line for the Czech Republic. If Team Czechia can apply pressure to Binnington, they can pull off an upset that would break social media.
Team Czechia vs. Team Canada Preview: 2. Shut down Connor McDavid
This might be a bit far-fetched, but if Team Czechia wants to beat Canada, they have to shut down Connor McDavid. That's a really big ask considering what kind of player McDavid is. I'm sure Radek Faksa has let his fellow teammates know all about the devastation that McDavid can bring to a hockey game. It's going to be a long shot to keep him off the score sheet, but if they do, they have a really good chance of pulling off the upset against Canada.
Team Czechia vs. Team Canada Preview: 1. Do your best
There's really nothing else to say about this matchup for Team Czechia than to do your best. They got screwed in the seedings and ended up in Canada's group. The only thing that Faksa and the Czech Republic are doing is doing their best against the titan of international hockey. It would be awesome to see them do the unthinkable today, but it would have to be a perfect game to pull it off. Who knows? We saw a youthful Slovakian Team knock off Team Finland out of the blue.