On the Fly: The 5 most exciting players at the World Cup
On the Fly, theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues with another World Cup installment. Below are the five players that have impressed us the most.
Razor
Josh Gold-Smith: Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Johnny Gaudreau have garnered most of the attention for Team North America, but Nathan MacKinnon has unquestionably been one of the World Cup's most exciting players.
The 21-year-old forward scored a sublime overtime winner to stun Sweden on Wednesday, showing off his remarkable hands with a series of moves before roofing a backhand past Henrik Lundqvist.
Only Canada's Patrice Bergeron had more shots on goal than MacKinnon in round-robin play. The Colorado Avalanche star notched a pair of goals and an assist in three games, and he's proving he belongs among the game's elite playmakers.
Johnny Hockey
Justin Cuthbert: Everything the United States lacked at the World Cup, 23-year-old New Jersey native Gaudreau provided North America.
His outrageous skill, speed, and shiftiness pairing perfectly with MacKinnon's power brand, Gaudreau was the No. 1 option behind the McDavid unit, and responded with maximum impact.
The Calgary Flames most certainly wish they'd signed the superstar to a long-term contract before putting him on a flight to Toronto after Gaudreau scored twice in three games and tied for the team lead in points. What's more, he was responsible for so many spectacular moments, including his complete undressing of Lundqvist and the backcheck in 3-on-3 overtime that set MacKinnon up for a goal that was enough to validate the hybrid experiment by itself.
USA Hockey's in a rough spot, but there are splendid days ahead with Gaudreau on the come-up.
Auston 416
Navin Vaswani: Take a minute Friday to remember that Matthews deked the hell out of Victor Hedman from his knees. Victor Hedman! From his knees!
In his first competition against the NHL's best, Matthews finished his tournament with two goals and an assist in three games. Only five players had more points through round-robin play, and none had more than four. So, yes, Matthews did finish tied for second in tournament scoring.
Playing in Toronto for the first time and on the first line with McDavid, Matthews proved he's got no time for pressure - and that he has some hands on him. The Toronto Maple Leafs have something here. The only question is whether they screw it up.
Sid
Craig Hagerman: Sidney Crosby is doing something he hasn't done in almost six years: producing in a best-on-best tournament.
Not since he scored his iconic Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics have we seen the best player in the world wreak havoc in best-on-best play. Crosby was limited to three points in six games in Sochi, a total he's already surpassed through three contests, and his four points are tied for most in the tournament.
Crosby has developed impeccable chemistry with his Boston Bruins linemates Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and together the trio has proven to be one of the more lethal lines in the tournament, combining for nine points.
The King
Sean O'Leary: Goalies need some love too.
New York Rangers fans ought to be excited about the way Lundqvist has started his season, as he's been the difference-maker in two starts for Sweden.
He kicked his tournament off with a 36-save shutout versus archrival Finland and, one day later, made 45 saves in an overtime loss to North America that guaranteed Sweden top spot in Group B.
The King, now 34, is in vintage form, and looks to have shaken off the rust from an uncharacteristic playoff performance. He's definitely not the flashiest player in the tournament, but he's simply getting it done - the way he always has.