Milan, ITALY — Brock Nelson is a third-generation Team USA representative and scored two goals in the USA opener against Latvia. Both generations before him secured gold, and although we won’t know if he will continue that family tradition for a couple of weeks, we do know that if the USA wins gold, Brock Nelson will be a key component to that success.
The Game
The American brothers who stole the headlines at the Four Nations tourney are back at it again in Milan.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk broke into the Latvia end on a two-one-on-one, and the older brother found the younger brother, who put the puck into the net. They would proceed to celebrate just like they more than likely did as kids in the driveway.
This time, they didn’t need to imagine playing in the Olympics together. This time it was real.
Latvia got a goal of their own, and the US team would seemingly score two more goals in the period, that is, until Latvia successfully challenged both and maintained the tie.
The first goal was called back as Brock Nelson was ruled offside on the entry, and the second was due to goaltender interference from J.T. Miller.
If we are to judge goaltender interference by IIHF rules, this was the right call, although I don’t think Brock Nelson’s redirect would have been saved either way.
Those reviews, along with hitting a couple of posts, are what kept Latvia in this contest early.
It wasn’t the start that Team USA was looking for, but they wouldn’t let things get out of hand and would pour it on in the second frame.
It was Brock Nelson who finally broke through, and he had this to say when asked if he had any pre-game nerves, “Yeah, for sure, but at the same time, you just wanna go out there and play. We have a hell of a group here, good chemistry and a lot of great players, so you just try to go out there and play a simple game. Don’t overthink it, just go out there and have fun.”
He certainly didn’t look nervous when he logged his second goal of the game with just 11.1 seconds left in the middle frame, and if not for J.T. Miller’s goaltender interference, he would have had a hat-trick right then and there.
Nelson looked good with his linemates and credited Jack Hughes for working hard to give him the opportunity to score on both occasions.
“A couple of great plays by Jack (Hughes), sticking with it. Did a couple of things in the first that we had some good looks… get one off the post. After that, you’re not too sure if you’re gonna get another really clean look.”
“Fortunate to find myself with a couple of great plays by Jack (Hughes).”
Brock Nelson might not have gotten his hat-trick, but he and Team USA did secure the 5-1 victory and are tied for the lead in Group C with Germany, and certainly look like a gold medal favorite.
By The Numbers
Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, Brock Nelson, Mathew Tkachuk, and Quinn Hughes all had 2 points in this opening contest.
Quinn Hughes logged 21:29 of ice time in this matchup despite the US having a clear advantage for most of the game.
Both Team USA and Team Canada logged 5 goals in their opening match-ups!
Avalanche Spin
I suppose it goes without saying, but Brock Nelson was excellent in this contest, and that’s a great sign for Avalanche fans who have seen Brock Nelson lighting it up for his NHL club heading into the tourney.
Some wondered if the Olympics would negatively affect his momentum, but so far, that’s not the case at all. If anything, he’s carrying his NHL heater into the Olympic Games!
I asked Brock Nelson if he agreed with Nathan MacKinnon, who said he felt like a kid today, “Uh, yeah, for sure, I felt all the emotions coming out just being over here and trying to soak it all in. It means the world to have this opportunity.”
Let us know what you thought of Team USA’s opener in the comments!
