""It's pretty crazy," said Nelson, 34, considered the old man on a team filled with some of the game's brightest young stars. "It's just an unbelievable experience. I'm trying to soak it all in.""
""Yeah, that was frustrating," said defenseman Zach Werenski, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets. "But at the same time, you're still getting the goals even though they got overturned. You're doing the work to put the puck in the net, and I think that helps your confidence a little bit. After they get overturned, you've just got to put it out of your mind and continue to play the same way.""
""It was just 1-1 but there was never any panic," said forward Matthew Tkachuk, the Florida Panthers winger. "From the second period on, we just wanted to make sure someone was at the net at all times. They were playing pretty tight, but with the skill and puck possession and strength that we have, we knew we were going to win some battles.""
Brock Nelson scored two goals to lead the United States to a 5-1 victory over Latvia in the Olympic opener. Nelson is making his Olympics debut and continues a family Team USA legacy: his grandfather won gold in 1960 and his uncle was on the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team. Two U.S. goals were overturned by successful challenges in the first period, requiring resilience. The Americans outshot Latvia 38-18, and starter Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves. Matthew Tkachuk stressed net-front presence and puck possession, and Zach Werenski emphasized moving past overturned goals to maintain confidence.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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