CAN-SWI quick hitters from the winner’s POV:

GOOD

• Connor McDavid’s puck management wasn’t great. That didn’t stop him from manufacturing a wealth of chances and collecting 3 primary points anyway. When he decides to go full throttle—which he has over the past couple of months—he can hit a gear that’s unparalleled. Just an insane, truly generational talent.

• Mark Stone is playing like the best winger in the tournament. Countless link-ups and subtle, connective plays to point Crosby’s line in the right direction. Should have had an assist from his goal-line office too.

• Speaking more broadly, Stone and Marner are ideal foils for Crosby. Passing + board play + two-way acumen. Really glad Cooper hasn’t opted for the Nate-Sid duo that the media seemed obsessed with in the buildup.

• Macklin Celebrini’s puck pursuit has been impossible to ignore, as he continually killed SWI’s progress up the wall. His shot placement—arguably the best in the world—flashed on his conversion of a MacKinnon pass. He’s still finding his groove, yet he’s already doing plenty of good things out there.

• Thomas Harley has been the team’s steadiest blueliner. Clean retrievals, smart outlet passes and well-timed offensive activation. If he keeps this up, the Olympics may lead to a stellar home stretch.

• While Logan Thompson would love to get that goal back, he stood tall otherwise behind a CAN group that was a little leaky in the first half of the contest. A few excellent moments.

BAD

• Nick Suzuki’s wall play was an absolute mess in the 1st period. Cooper wisely broke up the 2nd line (went with Hagel-Suzuki-Wilson), which settled Suzuki down at his natural position and provided MacKinnon with far more opportunities to make a difference alongside McDavid and Celebrini. Would still prefer McDavid and MacKinnon apart, though. Center is the squad’s greatest strength.

• Shea Theodore struggled on the defensive side. Loose coverage, bad penalty and he got caught in no man’s land on an odd-man rush late in the 2nd. Can’t slip up like that against stronger opponents.

• Minor thing, but I’m not sure I’d roll Makar out on the PK. Some really sluggish low reads, and the team already has Toews, Parayko, Sanheim and Doughty on the back end. Besides, it’s not as though Makar is anywhere close to a shutdown-level defender.

• Brandon Hagel is at his worst when he tries to be a finesse creator rather than a hustle god. So many errant passes today. Gotta focus on disruption and zone time.