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Getzlaf gives last laugh to Slovaks

Major penalty major blow to Canada

By: Chris Johnston

Posted: 05/18/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Dmitry Lovetsky / The Associated Press Dejected Team Canada players exit the bench area after Thursday�s shocking 4-3 loss to Slovakia in the IIHF World Hockey Championship. (CP)

HELSINKI, Finland -- Seven error-filled minutes.

That's what cost Canada a shot at glory in this year's IIHF World Hockey Championship.

But those seven minutes against underdog Slovakia on Thursday essentially encapsulate the stretch of international hockey disappointment that has followed Sidney Crosby's golden goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Two bad penalties. Key players caught out of position on a back-breaking goal. The inability to protect a lead in a tight game.

These types of mistakes have prevented Canadian players from the golden opportunities more than anything else recently, and on Thursday, they came against a "far inferior" opponent, as general manager Kevin Lowe described Slovakia following a shocking 4-3 quarter-final loss.

"They had no business being in the game," Lowe said of the Slovaks.

Yet there they were with time ticking down at Hartwall Arena. Slovakia was well aware of the situation and played the role of spoiler perfectly, patiently sitting back and hoping for Canada to slip up.

What happened next was nothing short of a meltdown.

First, captain Ryan Getzlaf's line with Corey Perry and Evander Kane got caught up ice when Milan Bartovic raced in and tied the game with a rebound off the rush at 13:25. Then, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was assessed a boarding penalty. Just as Canada killed that one off, Getzlaf was given a kneeing major for an open-ice hit on Juraj Mikus at 17:28.

Four seconds later, Michal Handzus tipped home the winning goal.

"You're going with a lead in the third (period), you're up 3-2, that's got to be your bread and butter," said Canadian coach Brent Sutter. "Games are tight and you've got to be able to close the deal on them.

"We probably beat ourselves in the last seven minutes of the game with things we talked about all tournament not wanting to do."

Ultimately, that might be the most intriguing part of Canada's third straight early departure from the world championship. The team didn't encounter anything it didn't expect here. On the eve of the tournament, Lowe talked about the need to play "flawless hockey" once the do-or-die games start.

It never got there.

Canada assembled a good team for this event and the players seemed to grow together while winning six of seven round-robin games. There was every reason to believe they would rise to the occasion when it mattered most.

Instead, Canada played a tepid opening 10 minutes against Slovakia and quickly found itself down 2-0. It roared ahead during an inspired second period -- Slovak captain Zdeno Chara said it was a "small wonder" his team survived it -- but faded down the stretch.

And even though this was the youngest team Canada has ever sent to the world championship, it was Olympic and Stanley Cup champion Getzlaf who made the most crucial error.

"It hurts like hell right now," he said. "I feel like I let the guys down. To be in a hard-fought game like that and play the tournament we did and lose in that fashion, it's not easy to swallow as a group.

"The guys worked way too hard to be delivered something like that."

Evander Kane, Jeff Skinner and Alex Burrows scored for Canada.

In another quarter-final upset, Finland dropped Team USA 3-2. Finland scored two late goals in less than seven minutes, including one with 8.8 seconds left in regulation. Former New York Islanders player Jesse Joensuu's late goal gave Finland the win.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 18, 2012 C2

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