Necas ignited Czechia's offense with a goal and assist, powering them past Denmark and into a quarterfinal showdown with Canada.
It was a tight game, but come the final buzzer, Martin Necas and Czechia defeated Denmark 3-2 and advanced to the quarter-finals to face Canada. The first period was low-eventful, with both teams taking few chances and generating few high-danger opportunities.
However, it was Necas to open the scoring in the opening minutes of the second period on the power play. In the final 30 seconds of the power play, Filip Hronek, on the top of the blue line, sets up Necas for the one-timer and blasts it on the left side and in, a great shot that beats the Fredrick Anderson clean.
He followed up his goal with an assist to help retake the lead when Denmark, just three minutes after Necas opened the scoring, tied it up. Necas started the play with a cross-ice pass to Jan Rutta, who set up David Kampf right infront of the net to tap it in and secure his first goal of the tournament.
Necas wouldn’t help with the power play goal to make it 3-2, but he finished with the one goal and assist with a team high five total shots on just over 15 minutes of ice time.
He showed what he's really capable of and what he brings to the Avalanche and the national team. He’s a fast, shifty skater who, with the puck on his stick, can really make some magic happen, which shows when he joined the Avalanche. Pairing with Nathan MacKinnon opened up his skating and puck-playing ability with guys like him, Cale Makar, and the whole offensive scheme.
Another layer to his game, I hope to see more of post-Olympic break is his shooting ability. While he might not be the top shooter in the NHL compared to guys like Auston Matthews, national teammate David Pastrnak, or fellow NHL teammate MacKinnon, he's got a powerful shot.
With the amount of defensive pressure put on Pastrnak to limit his opportunities, he's been able to be more involved in shooting lanes and taking those opportunities. With his goal and assist today, he’s now the leading goal scorer (3), tied for first in assists (4), and the points leader (7) in the Czechia team.
Martin Necas and Czechia will face off against some fellow Avalanche teammates and Canada at 10:40 AM ET on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the semifinals on Friday.
