The Men’s Olympic tournament has been very exciting so far, especially yesterday’s thriller between Russia and the US.
The preliminary round wraps up late this morning with the final game of Group B, and it’s pretty important because it will determine who has a shot at the #1 seed and who will be the #4 seed. Either way, with Russia failing to defeat Slovakia in regulation, the loser of this game still likely earns a spot in the quarterfinals due to goal differential.
The Finns are coming off a game in which they handily beat the Norwegians despite some reports that the game was closer than the score indicated, but through 2 games they were the highest scoring team, putting up 14 goals in only 2 games. Tuuka Rask gave up 4 goals to Austria in the first game, but Kari Lehtonen stepped in and only allowed 1 to Norway.
For Canada, this game is their first test after struggling against Norway but turning things around versus Austria. Through 2 games, they have only allowed a single goal, and Carey Price will get the start in net today. The biggest surprise for Canada has been their secondary scoring: 4 of their first 5 goals were scored by defensemen.
A win in regulation for of these teams earns them the #1 seed as Sweden’s goal differential is only +5. This has the potential to be a great game. Go Canada Go!
