Men’s Preliminary Round – Group A - Canada 8, Norway 0 

Pal Grotnes staved off a high-flying Team Canada for the game’s first 22:30 until Jarome Iginla scored at the tail end of a power play with help from a Rick Nash screen. Then Chris Pronger’s shot from the point was re-directed by Dany Heatley at 4:33 of the second and then Mike Richards punched home a loose puck directly off the left post to push their lead to 3-0 after two periods. Team Canada and Roberto Luongo would cruise in the third period and end up with an 8-0 shout win.

Read a full game recap here and check out the scouting notes below!

Pal Grotnes - Has slightly above average size at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds … Solid and compact buterfly appears a little wider than average … Did not track long rebounds with his body on a consistent basis … Good agility due to moving more on the front half of his skate blade … Stopped 13 of 16 scoring chances through first two periods … Beat by IGINLA thanks to a NASH screen on the first goal … Does not have a strict and consistent in-game routine … Had no chance on second goal that was tipped by HEATLEY … Weak execution on third goal by RICHARDS … Good blocker save on GETZLAF after giving up third goal … Strong upper body that is very square to the shooter … Has a slow recovery coming out of the butterfly … Finished the game with 28 saves on 32 shots

Even though he was pulled after four goals against, Grotnes was extremely impressive in this game. This was my first time seeing him play and even though the shots were 30-10 through two periods, he never once looked rattled after allowing each of the three goals. This game was very similar to Jonas Hiller’s in the sense that he made big saves early, allowed a few goals in succession and then recovered to play strong regardless of the score.

Grotnes’ style is a good mix between Michael Leighton and Chris Mason. He’s very square, has excellent size and combines a tight stance with a wide butterfly to seal and eliminate holes effectively. I could tell by his lateral movements that he had a strong core and has very good balance as well.

Grotnes was pulled after Ryan Getzlaf made it 4-0 for Canada early in the third period. He ended up with 28 saves in just over 45 minutes of play and was quite impressive in his Olympics debut.

Andreas Lysenstoen - Entered the game in the third after GROTNES allowed 4th goal … Made a great first blocker save on IGINLA to get into the game … Has a very wide stance and appearance in the net … Did not challenge enough on HEATLEY goal and was beat short side just over the blocker … Over-committed blocker side on NASH, who sets up IGINLA’s second goal … Drops too early and exposes top corners too often … Does a good job of taking away the lower portion of the net … Final goal against was slightly tipped and redirected down by IGINLA

Lysenstoen made a sharp save on Iginla to get into the game and competed well, but was dropping way too early on some of the shots he faced. His stance and style is somewhat similar to that of Manny Legace and Niklas Backstrom. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, so he’s quite a hefty dude and has a stout appearance in the net.

Although he was much slower compared to Grotnes, Lysenstoen had good balance and moved well for his size. There were a few shots by Canada  that caused him to brace or hesitate due to the strong velocity and speed. He tracked the puck well but did not work hard enough to track pucks around bodies and traffic in front.

Roberto Luongo - Extremely focused thanks to some big saves early … Finished the first period with four saves … Had an exaggerated routine and demeanor in the second that kept him focused … Faced six total shots in the second period … Moved effectively and had great positioning during Norway’s 5-on-3 advantage … Did not force things by trying to over-handle the puck … Biggest save in the game was a left pad save early in the third period … Save came during a Norway PP with the rebound being missed … Finished with five saves in the third … Made 15 total saves for the shutout

This game was a very systematic and routine performance for Luongo. He was tested early and displayed some strong focus and tracked the puck extremely well. His movements did not look delayed and he was not docile against a weak team. He was good when he needed to be and will benefit from a boost of confidence by pitching a shutout in front of his home town.

Although Luongo getting the start was somewhat of a surprise, it turned out to be the right decision by Mike Babcock. It leads me to wonder if Team Canada’s coaching staff felt there was a sense of entitlement for Luongo due to the fact he’s the captain of the Canucks and the Olympics are being held in Vancouver. Nevertheless, Luongo took advantage of an opportunity and did everything he could to keep Brodeur and Fleury on the bench.