Yesterday, Olympic hockey returned in all its glory. Ok, well, maybe not so glorious for some teams, but that was to be expected. Tonight there is a clash that may crush either Slovakia or the Czech Republic's shot at the medal rounds. Other than that, the best games are still yet to come.
LAST NIGHT:
USA 3, SWITZERLAND 1
- A solid performance by Switzerland, I had this game being 5-1. Their defense is stout, but as a team that wants to make the medal round, they can not afford a slip up against Norway in their final game. Don't bet on the Swiss beating Canada. On the American side, this game was scary, and could be called a disappointment in some ways. Sure, the Swiss are strictly a defensive team, but this doesn't bode all that well for a team with big games looming (Canada, others in the medal rounds against the likes of Sweden, Russia, Finland, etc).
CANADA 8, NORWAY 0
- Pretty much went as expected. The Canadians started out slow, but found their game. Crosby had 3 assists, Iginla a hat trick. For Canada, this was business as usual. Luongo was stellar, and this team proved why it is the favorite for gold. Norway tried, they really did, and they played well for a while, but this was like asking a child to fight a heavyweight boxer. Not pretty.
RUSSIA 8, LATVIA 2
- I was impressed with the effort Latvia showed throughout the game. This is a surprisingly speedy group, and they're feisty. They may not get far, or even advance out of pool play, but if they scratch their way in (say via upset of either Slovakia or the Czechs), they could upset someone in the medal round. However, last night, the Russians were simply too much. Malkin, Kovalchuk, and Afinogenov as a starting line is more than scary. Throw in Datsyuk, Semin, and Ovechkin on top of that. Exactly what everyone thought would happen. Latvia put up a fight, at least.
TONIGHT:
1:00 PM: FINLAND VS. BELARUS
- This game should be a good barometer for a Finnish team that honestly at this point doesn't know what to expect in this deep hockey field. Obviously, this is a must win for Finland, they cannot afford to slip up today. For Belarus, in their pool (Sweden, Germany, Finland the other teams) it is looking grim that they'll make the medal rounds. Expect Finland to dominate the game, but the score may be closer than those we saw yesterday, something along the lines of 4-2 for Finland.
5:30 PM: SWEDEN VS. GERMANY
- This will be an entertaining game, and might be the closest of those already played (Even though the USA/Swiss game was 3-1, it wasn't as close as the score indicated). Hockey fans all over the world are anxious to see Peter Forsberg play again for Sweden. Nothing but a great thing when Forsberg is in the olympics, or in the international hockey eye. I'm thinking if Sweden clicks early, they may roll 3-0 or 4-0. If not, I think they'll still win, but maybe only 4-2. Sweden is clearly the better team here, and the best team in their pool.
10:00 PM: SLOVAKIA VS. CZECH REPUBLIC
- This game is going to be dirty. Scrappy will be the operative word for most of this night. These teams absolutely despise eachother, and in the Olympics, that makes for great hockey. Both teams have solid offensive players who can put the puck in the net, and neither team's defensive players are a wall (that is, except for 6'9", 265 lb Zdeno Chara, who is closer to 7'0", 300 lbs on skates and equiptment). Should be a fireworks display, and a fight to the finish. As of now, I give the slight edge to the Slovaks because their defense is more stout than that of the Czechs. Powerplay-wise, these teams are dead even. Again, this will be a fantastic hockey game tonight, stay up and watch if you have the chance. This game may even end in a tie, but for now I've got Slovakia 3, Czech Republic 2.
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