Canada-France takeaways: Full Stone experience, Wilson wins, decisions loom
Canada wrapped up its round-robin schedule Sunday with a 10-2 beatdown of France. The 3-0-0 squad has earned a bye into Wednesday's quarterfinal round. Here are our four biggest takeaways from Canada-France.
The full Mark Stone experience
On a typical night in the NHL, Mark Stone wows those who pay extra close attention. A master of the sport's finer details, Stone will own little moments throughout a game and contribute more value than the scoresheet suggests.
Everybody pays close attention during the Olympics, and Stone turned heads Sunday. He blocked passes and outright stole the puck from French players on a handful of occasions, with one particularly well-timed interception leading to a shorthanded breakaway goal in the dying seconds of the first period.
Stone, who, in 13 minutes of ice time, also earned a pair of primary assists, is one of the slowest players competing in Italy. It doesn't really matter though. His next-level anticipation, strong and long frame, and competitive fire gets him to the right spots at the right times. What makes Stone especially unique is his habit of using his right-handed stick like a pool cue to poke at pucks.
He's on the short list of most consistent Canadian players through three games, having thrived at even strength, with the man advantage, and on the penalty kill. The 33-year-old's star performance is a continuation of an NHL season in which he's recorded 60 points in 41 games for the Golden Knights to rank fifth in the league in points per game (1.46). The dude is feeling it.
Stone, fellow winger Mitch Marner, and center Sidney Crosby were together for the entire round-robin portion of the tournament. You can understand why head coach Jon Cooper is sticking with the trio. Their hockey IQ is off the charts.
Wilson, MacKinnon toe the line
Hands up if you had a "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" on your Olympic bingo card.
No one? Yep, me neither.
Leave it to power forward Tom Wilson to do the deed: a goal in the first period then an assist and a fighting major in the third. The careerlong Washington Capital dropped the mitts with French defenseman Pierre Crinon in response to an elbow delivered to the head of Canadian superstar Nathan MacKinnon. Wilson and Crinon were assessed minor penalties for roughing, majors for fighting, and automatic game misconducts. Neither player will be suspended.
"We didn't like the hit: felt like it was late and high," linemate Connor McDavid told reporters postgame. "Willy just finishes a check and the guy jumps him, and Willy's just protecting himself. That's all he can do. That's the type of guy he is, type of teammate he is. Nothing but respect for him."
Wilson looked fantastic all night on McDavid's right wing, completing short passes off the wall, retrieving loose pucks, and wreaking havoc in front of France's net. Choosing to fight, even in a blowout, is a risky move. But, with no supplemental discipline on the way, Wilson comes out proud. He sent a message to every nation competing by sticking up for his skilled countryman.
MacKinnon, meanwhile, tempted fate a few times after Wilson's fight. He was on a mission to inflict pain on the opposition, landing multiple body checks and cross-checks. That approach is a net positive if you leave a 10-2 game unscathed, though it looked like MacKinnon may have hurt himself during his final shift.
Goals, goals, and more goals
Canada had two objectives against France, Group A's walkover team.
One: win the game. Two: score as many goals as possible to juice up the goal differential and secure the No. 1 seed ahead of the elimination stage.
It took a while for the floodgates to open, but Canada turned 46 shots into 10 goals and now owns a plus-17 differential. McDavid, Stone, Crosby, and Macklin Celebrini each contributed three points. Along the way, Crosby became Canada's all-time leader in Olympic points in the NHL era, McDavid increased his tournament-leading point total to nine, and 19-year-old Celebrini jumped to first in tournament goals with his third and fourth snipes.
Canada is insanely deep. The team has 12 goal-scorers just three games in.
Lineup, usage decisions loom
The top three forwards lines and top defense pair appear locked in (though Cooper may still toss MacKinnon on McDavid's wing from time to time).
It'll be fascinating to see who fills out the very bottom of the forward group the rest of the way. Cooper said Sunday that veteran winger Brad Marchand - a scratch in back-to-back games - will return to the lineup for Wednesday's quarterfinal contest. Fourth-liners Bo Horvat and Sam Reinhart aren't going anywhere. That leaves Sam Bennett and Seth Jarvis as options for the final forward spot.
If it were up to me, I'd dress Jarvis. The pace-pushing two-way winger's been quietly effective in two games, while Bennett's mostly blended into the action.
I wonder how Cooper distributes blue line minutes moving forward. How much does he lean on the excellent Cale Makar-Devon Toews duo, especially if an injured Josh Morrissey can't draw back into the lineup? Does 24-year-old thoroughbred Thomas Harley, who impressed at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has gotten better every game in Milan, receive an elevated role?
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).