In Team USA's impressive run in the World Cup of Hockey, the Americans have been spreading the wealth around in the scoring department.

But one line has emerged as the most dynamic following the first three games, all wins, of the preliminary round: Keith Tkachuk, Mike Modano and Bill Guerin."They've been together since day one of camp," said U.S. coach Ron Wilson after another fine performance by that line in Tuesday night's 9-3 victory over Slovakia.

Tkachuk, a left wing with the Phoenix Coyotes, had three goals and an assist and Modano, a center for the Dallas Stars, had two goals and an assist as the Americans advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team tournament.

The United States will face the winner of Friday's quarterfinal game between Russia and Finland on Sunday. Sweden, which finished first in the European pool with a 3-0 record, will play in the other semifinal Saturday against the winner of Thursday's Canada-Germany game.

The beat went on Tuesday night for the surging Americans, who have outscored the opposition 19-8 in the first three games - including victories over hockey superpowers Canada and Russia.

The Tkachuk-Modano-Guerin line has accounted for six goals and 11 points.

View Comments

Explaining why he and his linemates have been successful so far, Tkachuk said, "We get the puck down low and our assets are that we are all big players and we work the puck well. Plus, all three of us are shooters."

Tkachuk, for one, had four shots Tuesday night - including three in the second period when he scored two of his goals. By then, the Americans had things well in control with a 6-2 lead.

Anaheim goaltender Guy Hebert, starting in place of Mike Richter, felt it was a "tough game to play since we had first wrapped up."

Slovakia (0-3) had been eliminated from contention after the first two games of the preliminary round and was pretty much overwhelmed by the Americans, as they were in a 9-2 exhibition loss to the United States 10 days ago.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.