Hot and not
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid carried the load against the Buffalo Sabres, scoring both goals, including the overtime winner, in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres and fellow rookie phenom Jack Eichel.
Antti Niemi, Dallas Stars
Niemi allowed four goals on just 18 shots and was pulled midway through the second period in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. He has now lost three straight starts and was pulled from two of those games.
What are Russia and Finland's strengths and weaknesses?
@ESPN_Burnside: Greetings, all. Starting to feel a little World Cup of Hockey buzz? The hockey world awoke to the initial roster offerings for teams Russia and Finland, with all eight teams to announce their first 16 players before the day is over. For me, the biggest surprise was the Russian roster and the lack of big name KHL figures like Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov. Kovalchuk has run afoul of coaches/management with his SKA team and was scratched for much their playoff series, but he was also the captain of the Russian Olympic team in Sochi, so it will be interesting to see whether his NHL/international experience is enough to earn him a spot when the 23-man rosters are filled out. The Finnish roster was as expected, though it was interesting to see Dallas defensive prospect Esa Lindell named, and you wonder whether the Finns will consider other young players like Petteri Lindbohm, a St. Louis prospect, or Kasperi Kapanen, who recently played his first game in the NHL with Toronto.
@CraigCustance: I love the firepower up front for Russia, but that defense has the potential to be a major weakness. I'm not sure how that's going to play against a powerhouse like Canada or even match up with the speed of Team North America, who can send out the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid against the Russians. The silver lining is that Dmitry Orlov has developed nicely for the Washington Capitals under Barry Trotz and assistant coach Todd Reirden, so the Russians will be leaning on him in this tournament. Most of the World Cup contenders have a shutdown guy on the blue line, but I don't see a Ryan Suter or Aaron Ekblad or Shea Weber or Victor Hedman, or anything close, in that Russian group.
@Real_ESPNLeBrun: You called it right Craig: firepower. My goodness, look at those Russian forwards: Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikita Kucherov. Will there be enough pucks to go around? But here's a debate I'd like to have. Are we sure Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov are definitely better options in goal than Andrei Vasilevskiy? Bobrovsky's injury-plagued season has grounded him this year in Columbus. Varlamov has had an up-and-down season in Colorado. Vasilevskiy is stuck behind Ben Bishop in Tampa Bay, so he doesn't get the games he needs at this point, but I think he's a future NHL star. Would the Russians unleash him in Toronto in September? As for the Finns, their roster never overwhelms you, but all they do is go out and overachieve almost every time, like when they reached the final of the 2004 World Cup in Toronto before losing to Canada in a tight game, and when they won bronze in Sochi in February 2014. Never count out the pesky Finns.
@ESPNJoeyMac: As expected, Finland's roster is pretty much cut-and-dried. There weren't any surprises among the first 16 Finns named to the roster. Goaltending will be a strength with the Boston Bruins' Tuukka Rask and the Nashville Predators' Pekka Rinne. It's likely Columbus Blue Jackets rookie netminder Joonas Korpisalo, 21, could serve as Finland's third goalie. "Yeah, of course," Korpisalo said recently when asked whether he wanted to participate in the World Cup. "Everyone wants to be a part of the national team." Defensively the Sabres' Rasmus Ristolainen, 21, will be relied on for major contributions. "All the best players will be playing in that tournament and it should be fun," Ristolainen said. "It means a lot. It means I've done something well to earn my spot there. It's always a great experience to play for Finland." Finland is young on the blue line. Olli Maatta, 21, of the Pittsburgh Penguins should add some production. The Anaheim Ducks' Sami Vatanen, 24, needs to be better in the World Cup than he's been this season. Lindell is currently playing in the AHL for the Texas Stars. Offensively, the Finns have the potential to do some damage with the likes of Florida Panthers Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen, along with the Minnesota Wild's Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund, and the Blackhawks' Teuvo Teravainen. The Russian roster is an interesting one, especially between the pipes. I haven't talked with one player who isn't excited for the World Cup, and Wednesday's roster announcements are an indication of just how many of the best players in the world will be in the in September in Toronto.
Around the league
Former teammate Phil Kessel said Tuesday that former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators in February, was misunderstood by media and fans in the Toronto market.
The red-hot Anaheim Ducks are happy their core remained intact as the team made deals at the trade deadline.
Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo has been suspended for five games for a hit to the head on Tampa Bay's Cedric Paquette.
