Keller, Thompson soaking in Olympic experience with Team USA
“There’s not a lot to do but hang out with the guys, and I think that gets you closer as a team,” Thompson said. “Obviously, most of these guys were together at 4 Nations. They’ve been great to me. I know a lot of them from prior to this too, so I think that helps, but I think it’s been great so far.”
Thompson leads the Buffalo Sabres with 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 57 games this season and is tied for eighth in the NHL in goals with Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat.
He had two goals in three games in the preliminary round, tied for second on Team USA with forwards Brock Nelson and Brady Tkachuk. Only captain Auston Matthews has more (three).
In a 5-1 win against Latvia on Thursday, he took a pass from center Jack Eichel on the power play at the side of the net, pulled in the puck and backhanded it high short side, an impressive display of agility for a 6-foot-6 man.
In a 5-1 win against Team Germany on Sunday, he blasted a slap shot from the high slot like he was in the hardest-shot competition at NHL Skills.
“You see his bomb,” Larkin said. “Like, no one else scores from out there.”
Keller leads the Utah Mammoth with 54 points (17 goals, 37 assists) in 57 games this season. He didn’t play for Team USA in the first two games, then got into the lineup against Germany. He said he noticed how upbeat the bench was even amid adversity.
“Everyone was so together,” he said. “That was something that definitely stood out to me. I think that gives you energy, confidence. That’s, like, the bench that you want to be a part of, and we’ve got to keep it going moving forward.”
Keller had no points in 9:51 of ice time. But coach Mike Sullivan said he played well, and if the lines at practice hold, he’ll play in the quarterfinals.
