The Boston Bruins have several members currently playing in the IIHF World Hockey Championship. The tournament is being played in Russia, and it’s a great opportunity for some of the B’s talent to stay sharp during the offseason. Brad Marchand is playing for team Canada, Massachusetts native Frank Vatrano is playing for Team USA, and David Pastrnak is representing the Czech Republic.
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So far, it looks like it is Team Canada’s tournament to lose. Canada has won both games so far, outscoring their opponents by an impressive 12-2 margin. Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been an important piece of Team Canada so far this tournament, putting in two goals so far. Marchand is currently skating on a line centered by Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche). They’ve been a dangerous line to play against so far.
The Canadians easily took out Team USA beating them 5-1. Frank Vatrano played on the fourth line for the US, and wasn’t able to contribute much against one of the strongest teams Canada has put together in a while. Team Canada then obliterated an underwhelming Hungarian team with a 7-1 victory.
“They played hard all of the way through. It’s never easy games. Other teams come to battle,” offered Marchand after beating the Hungarians. “I think we’ve all had a little bit of time off, so we’re just trying to feel each other out and get used to playing together. But they’re both phenomenal players. It’s been a lot of fun playing with them, so hopefully we continue to improve each game. It’s phenomenal how fast is.”
Frank Vatrano has so far put in two assists for Team USA, as they redeemed themselves in a win over 6-3 over Belarus. Vatrano has put in six shots on goal for Team USA who are currently 1-1 for the tournament so far. David Pastrnak also has two assists and an impressive 13 shots on goal so far for the Czech Republic. Like Team USA, the Czech team is also 1-1.