Auston Matthews leads USA in 10-1 rout of Switzerland 3 things to know

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The U.S. National Junior Team sure knows how to bounce back from getting shut out. After falling to Sweden 1-0 in their second game of the preliminary round at the World Junior Championship, the Americans answered with a 10-1 rout of a Swi s team that took Canada to a shootout the day prior. Team USA was firing on all cylinders with six goals in the first period, followed by a four-goal run in the second. Auston Matthews, who well get back to in a second, was the driving force for the Americans in the rout. He had four points in the game. The U.S. is now 2-0-0-1 in tournament play, good for second in their group. Theyll play Denmark with a chance to clinch a second-place finish, guaranteeing them a matchup with whichever team finishes Group B Charlie Heck Jersey in third place. It could be either Finland or the Czech Republic, with either of those two teams providing a tough matchup. Heres three things to know about Team USAs 10-1 win over Switzerland. File photo: USA fans had plenty of goals to cheer for in USA’s rout of Switzerland. (USATSI) 1. Auston Matthews had his breakout game of the tournament Auston Matthews two-goal, two-a sist performance in Team USAs big win was a great way for the top draft prospect for 2016 to showcase his skills. He was generating all kinds of opportunities with his size, speed and hockey sense, for both himself and teammates. He scored USAs second goal of the game with a nice net-front play and notched the clubs only power-play goal of the game after having a puck put on a tee by Chicago Blackhawks first-rounder Nick Schmaltz. He also set up both goals for fellow top draft prospect Matthew Tkachuk who was buzzing all game long. Matthews a sist on Tkachuks Reggie Robinson II Jersey second goal may have been his best play of the game, showing why scouts are drooling over him. Few players can combine that kind of power and size with skill. When he has the puck, it’s hard to get it from him. Austin Matthews with some sick work to set up Tkachuk Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Matthews has already doubled his output from last years underwhelming World Junior performance with six points so far this year. There isnt a more important player to have trending up right now than him. When hes at his best, he has the potential to take over games. 2. The U.S. picked up another W without Alex DeBrincat. The World Junior Championship has been a tough one for the OHLs leading goal scorer. After getting ejected from Team USAs first game against Canada due to a spearing penalty, DeBrincat suffered an upper-body injury in the first period against Sweden. He was not in Team USAs lineup against Switzerland and has been listed as day-to-day. Coming into the tournament, DeBrincat was viewed as a vital piece for Team USAs offensive attack, but hes barely had a chance to play now. This was also due Andy Janovich Jersey to be a major proving ground for him as a draft-eligible prospect. With 33 goals in 30 games in the OHL, his draft stock remains high, but a good performance at the World Juniors would have gone a long way. DeBrincat may yet be available for Team USAs next game, but they wont want to rush him back either. Colin White, the first-round pick, took DeBrincats spot on the top line against Switzerland and had another strong game with a goal and two a sists. White now has five points at the tournament. 3. Heres a look at some players who stood out for Team USA in the win: Auston Matthews (USA): The best forward on the ice for the Americans throughout the game, and a player that needed a big day. He may have a hard time getting back into Switzerland to rejoin his pro team, the ZSC Lions, after what he did to their national team Wednesday. Matthews now has six points in tournament play. Zach Werenski (USA): If you combine all three games, the first-rounder has probably been Team USAs best player. He had Garret Wallow Jersey three points vs. Switzerland and now has five for the tournament. Team USAs captain is far and away their best defenseman and has been engaged offensively, to support the scoring attack. Hes playing exactly how youd want a veteran of this tournament to play. Brandon Halverson (USA): After not starting any of the games yet in this tournament, the prospect got the last half of Team USAs game against Switzerland. He ended up facing 20 shots in relief of Alex Nedeljkovic and stopped all of them. Halverson may get the start against Denmark, too, but coming on cold and playing as well as he did showed to Team USA they’ve got two good options in net. Matthew Tkachuk (USA): The son of former NHLer and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk has had a strong start to his tournament and showed off some of the skills that make him a projected top-five NHL Draft pick for this year. He has a great shot and shows some Zach Cunningham Jersey really advanced offensive smarts. He scored twice and added an a sist and had his best game of the tournament by far. Here’s a look at Matthews and Tkachuk connecting on an early goal: Tkachuk puts USA up 5-0 on the drop feed from Matthews Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn)

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