Ryan Kesler's World Cup of Hockey experience didn't exactly go to plan.

For that matter, the entire USA roster could say the same thing, after being embarrassingly ousted from the competition in a winless three games.

Kesler, a two-time Olympian, rightly admits he and his teammates failed to perform to standards, but the 31-year-old had trouble finding extra motivation from the re-born tournament.

"It was weird," Kesler told Eric Stephens of the OC Register upon arriving at Anaheim Ducks camp. "I thought there would be more of a buzz in Toronto. There wasn't ... It just didn't seem like there was a buzz. If you didn't know what was going on, you wouldn't even know teams were playing. That's the only thing I was really disappointed with."

A lack of enthusiasm has widely been a knock on the World Cup thus far, but perhaps playing in a meaningful game could have aided Kesler's disappointment in the surrounding atmosphere.

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After Game 1 of the World Cup final yielded a tighter result than expected, Europe, despite losing, can view its effort as a foundation to potentially slow down the mighty Canadians.

The Europeans undoubtedly face an uphill climb, and it was clear Canada didn't put forth its best performance Tuesday night, but Ralph Krueger's squad has no choice but to lay it on the line in Game 2.

Here are three things Europe can do to force a decisive Game 3:

Play with pace

Captain Anze Kopitar said it himself - Europe knows they can compete, but they have to dictate pace.

Forcing a puck-possession team like Canada on its heels won't be easy, and Kopitar will surely have to be the engine that drives his team.

His elite two-way game might be best used in the defensive end, leaving the offense to Tomas Tatar, who emerged as Europe's top scoring threat in the elimination rounds.

Special attention to Crosby & Co.

Much easier said than done.

If you look at the list of top point-getters in the tournament, you'll see linemates Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron leading the pack with nine, seven and six points, respectively.

Krueger needs some sort of plan to slow down the trio. Whatever it may take, Europe needs to execute, as these three provided the difference in two Canadian goals Tuesday night..

Halak builds a wall

If Air Canada Centre witnesses a miracle this week, it's more than likely because of Jaroslav Halak.

The 31-year-old netminder is Europe's best chance at stopping Canada's attack, and he's posted a sparkling .941 save percentage along with a 2.19 goals-against average through five starts.

Halak has succeeded as an underdog before, putting up similar numbers in carrying the eighth-seeded 2010 Montreal Canadiens to the Eastern Conference finals.

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Andrew Shaw will have yet another conversation with the league office.

The Montreal Canadiens forward has a hearing scheduled for Thursday with the NHL's Department of Player Safety following his hit on Washington Capitals prospect Connor Hobbs on Wednesday night.

Shaw was ejected from the preseason contest after driving Hobbs into the boards behind the Capitals' net late in the second period.

The Canadiens pest then fought Nathan Walker while encouraging Montreal fans to cheer for his efforts.

Shaw was handed 30 penalty minutes for his actions.

Player Safety senior vice-president Stephane Quintal told Le Journal de Montreal's Jonathan Bernier on Tuesday night that he'd seen the hit and didn't like it.

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Know your history, kids. Never give up on a play, and always keep your stick on the ice.

It was 1972. The Cold War era. Canada against the Soviet Union in the Summit Series - the first time the Soviet national team had faced Canadians from the NHL.

Eight games - the first four in Canada, the final four in Moscow.

Canada won only once on home soil, and was booed off the ice in Vancouver after a 5-3 loss in Game 4. Phil Esposito couldn't believe it:

It got worse. Canada was up 3-0 after two periods in Game 5, and 4-1 at one point in the third. Yet the Soviets won 5-4, putting Canada in a seemingly insurmountable 1-3-1 hole. The Canucks had to win out.

Canada won Games 6 and 7 by a goal apiece. In Game 8, Canada trailed 5-3 after 40 minutes, but tied the game, and with under a minute to play, Paul Henderson did the damn thing.

"All I can say is that when (the coaching staff) called my name, I was there. And I wasn't comin' off," Esposito said about the third period, according to NHL.com's Dave Stubbs. "I've felt bad over the years. I've reflected about staying on the ice sometimes and going through Bobby (Clarke's) and Jean (Ratelle's) linemates.

"That was really selfish of me and I know that. But the truth was, I had this faith in myself, faith to get the job done. I can't explain it. But I did this in the NHL, too. I was not always going to get it done but I had faith in myself that 70 or 80 percent of the time I would."

No matter what happens Thursday night in Toronto, or Saturday should Team Europe force Game 3 of the World Cup final, it will pale in comparison to what Henderson - and Esposito - did during late September in the former Soviet Union 44 years ago.

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Wayne Gretzky was introduced as the official ambassador for the NHL's Centennial Celebration Tuesday, and while speaking with reporters, he recalled a hilarious story about the time he and his son decided to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame incognito.

The two tried out one of the interactive games, and, after missing his first three shots, Gretzky was approached by an employee who wanted to offer him some advice.

"The young man who was taking care of the line walked over to me and said, 'Sir, if you move your hand down the stick a little bit farther,'" Gretzky said. "And I lifted my hat up and I said, 'Go get me one of those pucks that are in there, there are 802 of them.'”

Imagine the embarrassment after learning you just tried to give shooting tips to the Great One.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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Despite coming up just short of their goal last season, the San Jose Sharks finally made a playoff breakthrough, advancing past the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history.

With nearly the same roster in tact, the Sharks are presumed to be contenders once again, and last season's experience could bode well for a team in win-now mode.

They know they can get there, but whether they can do it again remains to be seen.

Here are three questions facing San Jose entering the 2016-17 campaign:

Are they even better?

Last season, the Sharks managed 98 points, good for third in the Pacific Division, and with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers set to improve, the path to the playoffs could be a bit tougher this season.

Thankfully, a shrewd offseason from general manager Doug Wilson added useful pieces while the core remained in tact.

Mikkel Boedker, who scored 51 points last season split between the Coyotes and Avalanche, was the team's big addition up front, while possession-positive blue-liner David Schlemko replaced Roman Polak on a strong defensive unit.

The Sharks, who scored the fourth most goals in the NHL last season (237), did so with only 52 games from playoff hero Logan Couture. If they can stay healthy, this will be one dangerous club.

Will impending UFA's have a lingering impact?

Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Brent Burns are unrestricted free agents once this season expires, and whether the campaign is a success or a failure, the future of such important players will be a storyline for the team all season long.

Burns, 31, is the only one of the three that is likely to earn a raise, while Thornton and Marleau remain question marks. Age, productivity, and personal reasons will all play a role in the future of the franchise cornerstones once July hits.

Can they get off to a better start?

Halfway through last season, the Sharks were on the wrong side of the playoff cut line.

Through 38 games, San Jose was 18-18-2 under new head coach Peter DeBoer, but surged to a 28-12-4 mark to close out the season.

Coming off a deep playoff run, and with seven representatives at the World Cup of Hockey, the Sharks endured a shortened summer. With high expectations, a strong start to the fresh campaign is imperative to building momentum on another march to the postseason.

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Three long weeks.

Is that the amount of time it takes before the mind begins to wander?

Canada beat Team Europe 3-1 in Game 1 of the World Cup of Hockey's best-of-three final Tuesday at Air Canada Centre, moving to within a win of claiming its third straight triumph in best-on-best international competition.

But while the end result was just the same - a 15th consecutive victory in the Olympics or World Cup for the hockey juggernaut - this wasn't the bulletproof performance we have become accustomed to seeing.

This much, each player and coach would admit.

"We needed more guys on deck than we had tonight."

Those were coach Mike Babcock's simplistic terms, and though they certainly ring true, his words don't offer an explanation for the short strides, stick checks, inaccurate passes, and winding circles in lieu of full stops that we saw through large stretches of the game.

Canada suffered from overall disjointedness, and its effort was only neutralized by the resolute sharpness of Carey Price, who made 32 stops and held his team in long enough for Sidney Crosby's line to burst through, and be the difference in a second straight game.

So what changed? Did Ralph Krueger make the adjustments that have eluded nations over the last several tournaments? Or did three weeks on the road, in different rinks and in hotels, and as distractions mount at home with NHL training camps well underway, cause the Canadians to lose their focus?

"I don't think anyone's really concerned about what's going on back home, and with our own teams," Brad Marchand told theScore. "We're all concerned about being here right now."

Perhaps asking the player who successfully negotiated a $49-million contract, and devoted the next eight years of his life to an organization while emerging as a star for Hockey Canada, wasn't the right person to ask about distraction.

Alex Pietrangelo, who last month was named captain of the St. Louis Blues, admitted that he's had to switch gears throughout, but like his teammate, it hasn't come at the expense of his preparation.

"I'd be lying if I said that we weren't thinking about what we have to do in the coming week, but we know what we have to do on game days," he said.

"We are focused here when we are at the rink. Our sole focus has been on this tournament. I've been pretty impressed with the focus the guys have had throughout."

Of course, the players were never going to willingly admit their performances were being affected by matters unrelated to the task at hand. Because despite the mismatched final, and the momentum it has zapped from this World Cup, this remains a major international tournament, and it's Canada's responsibility to deliver.

But on Thursday, if they infiltrate the seal-tight neutral zone Pietrangelo said frustrated the Canadian attack, clean up their execution, and end up blowing the doors off Team Europe in Game 2, and in turn can return home and sort out their lives before embarking on the grueling season ahead - well, we just might get our answer.

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Nathan Lieuwen turned many heads with his save on Tuesday, except for his own.

The Colorado Avalanche netminder made the save of the season - or as of now, the preseason - snaring a Jason Pominville redirection with his back turned to the puck.

In the end, the Avalanche got by the Wild 4-1, while Lieuwen turned away all 11 shots he faced in 20 minutes of work.

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