It took a little bit for the United States to pull away from Latvia. The game was tied after the first period, with fans waiting to see what Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel could do. Of course, it wasn't easy. The game consisted of a goal waved off because of an offside call.
You'd figure that the United States would get another goal after Latvia ties it off consistent offensive zone pressure. Well, they almost did from Brock Nelson... except they didn't because of goaltender interference.
But have no fear, dear reader. The United States showed that they were overwhelmingly better than the Eastern European country, pulling away by a score of 5-1. Eichel represented the Vegas Golden Knights well, putting up two assists on Thursday afternoon. Both assists came on the power play, where the United States got a taste of the Golden Knights' power play at work.
It's the type of game where you need to overcome not one, but two inconveniences by getting away from the competition. That was the case as Brock Nelson netted two goals and Jack Hughes got three assists. Auston Matthews, Tage Thompson, and Brady Tkachuk all netted goals for the Americans.
Jack Eichel proves that he's Captain America with a solid game for the Americans
If you want further proof that Jack Eichel is one of the game's elite players, look no further than Tage Thompson's goal. The Golden Knights center feeds the Sabres star near the slot, who finishes with a beautiful backhand for the game's third goal.
Of course, this was on the power play, which was strong for America tonight. Two goals on the unit will certainly help the United States take on the behemoths known as Canada and Sweden. As for Eichel, the Golden Knights' star showed his offensive brilliance in more ways than one.
Eichel also had three shots on goal, adding to the shot barrage on Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins stopped 33 of 38 shots on goal, eventually caving to the American pressure generated in the offensive zone. Gee, it's almost metaphoric of the Americans and their sheer dominance in nearly everything, huh (except for men's soccer, which remains a mystery)?
But Eichel showed that he can still be a noticeable figure on the international stage. Setting up primary assists without any issue showed that he blends in seamlessly with the game's biggest superstars. Not only that, but he showed that he can ebb and flow fluidly through any offensive structure, as seen by his assist on the Tage Thompson goal.
Let's be honest for a second. It's time for people to start putting respect on Jack Eichel's name as a hockey player. The Golden Knights superstar has shown that he's worth his weight in stardom, helping his teammates out at every juncture. That should be enough for hockey fans to start paying attention to Vegas's franchise face, especially on the grander stage.
Heck, you can start dubbing Eichel, "Captain America." Wouldn't that be cool for a change? Up next for America is a game on Saturday at 12:10 PM PST against Denmark. Latvia will play at 3:10 AM PST on Saturday against Germany.