Olympics Record: 5-2
+$405.92
I have a feeling Czechs & Slovakia will be a goaltending showdown. Add the solid "D" and style of these teams and I have a feeling we go under. I'm playing under 1.5 for the first period as I feel they will use this period to get a feel for eachother like has happened in several other games. I'm also laying a little on a "draw" as I feel there is a damn good chance of this here.
Selection 1: Olympics - Men , Hockey
Draw(Czech Republic vs Slovakia) 17-February-2010 9:00 PM PST
Money Line for Game +424
Risking 23.58 to Win 100.00 CAD
Selection 1: Olympics - Men , Hockey
Czech Republic/Slovakia 17-February-2010 9:00 PM PST
Total Points UNDER 1.5 for 1st Period -107
Risking 107.00 to Win 100.00 CAD
CZECH REPUBLIC vs. SLOVAKIA - The lowdown:
SLOVAKIA:
- Montreal's Jaroslav Halak is the undisputed No. 1 in a position where the Slovaks haven't produced many standouts. Halak could be the difference maker for a squad that already knows it can score and play defense.
- Halak, Slovakia's Goaltender of the Year in 2009, has unofficially supplanted Carey Price as the top starter on the Canadiens, starting eight of the last nine games and nine of the last 13. As of Feb. 8, he was fifth in the League with a .927 save percentage en route to a 17-9-2 record with 3 shutouts.
- This tower of power is massive, even if the "shrimpy" Lubomir Visnovsky (5-10, 188) brings down their overall height and weight average to 6-2.5 and 230.5. This group can bang, shoot and move the puck with the best of them.
- Chara's incredible size (6-9, 255) is legendary, but he also has a point shot that breaks bones, literally (New Jersey's David Clarkson has been sidelined since Nov. 27 after taking Chara's slapper off his leg). Columbus' Milan Jurcina lacks Chara's offensive game, mobility and refinement, but is no less imposing at 6-4, 233.
- Unlike past Olympic tournaments, all games in Vancouver will be played on NHL-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet), meaning Slovakia's imposing size on defense will be an advantage.
- Fingers crossed, Marian Gaborik is still healthy and Marian Hossa appears all the way back from his summer shoulder surgery.
- A big wild card is sublime playmaker Pavol Demitra, who recently returned to the Canucks after missing nine months because of two shoulder surgeries.
- Euro league standouts Zigmund Palffy, Lubos Bartecko and Branko Radivojevic are long in the tooth, but provide great experience outside the top-six grouping.
- "They have some nice players on their team," Quenneville said. "They're going into that tournament a little under the radar, but they can beat anybody.
- Name the only player who has placed in the top five in tournament scoring in the 2002 and 2006 Games. It's Hossa, and perhaps no player is as valuable to his team in 2010 as the goal-scoring giant.
- You can discount the chances of Slovakia to medal, just as long as you don't count them out completely. They are better in goal and on defense than what they had to work with in 2006.
CZECH REPUBLIC:
- Taking the Czechs, who won the bronze in 2006 and the gold in 1998, lightly could be a big mistake because of the impressive array of talent coach Vladimir Ruzicka can utilize during the tournament, especially among the forwards.
-Tomas Vokoun took over for an injured Dominik Hasek in Torino and helped the Czechs secure a medal. He appeared in seven games, going 3-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average. This time around, Vokoun will be ready from the get-go. He is the No. 1 goalie this time, likely backed up by Atlanta's Ondrej Pavelec.
- When it comes to international success, Vokoun has his bronze medal from '06 and a gold medal with the Czechs at the 2005 World Championships in Austria after posting a 7-1 record, 1.08 goals-against average and .953 save percentage, so there will be no stage fright in the Czech crease.
- The Czechs boast plenty of NHL experience on defense for the 2010 Games. Toronto's Tomas Kaberle is the best of the bunch.
- In Vancouver, the Olympics will be contested on NHL-sized rinks, meaning having a big body like Atlanta's Pavel Kubina -- 6-foot-4, 250 pounds -- will be a bonus for the Czechs. In 56 games with the Thrashers, Kubina has 5 goals and 25 assists and is a plus-6, averaging 22:42 per game.
- One more defenseman to keep an eye on is Minnesota's Marek Zidlicky, who hovers in the same statistical categories as Kaberle and Kubina.
- Jaromir Jagr will be back on an NHL rink for the Vancouver Games, but the impetus for the Czech forward lines likely will see team captain Patrik Elias of the New Jersey Devils on the left side of a line with Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec and Minnesota's Martin Havlat on the right side.
- Jagr could find his way to the top line, subbing out Havlat or work on another scoring line with the Capitals' Tomas Fleischmann, who is enjoying a breakthrough season with 17 goals and 24 assists in 48 games this season. Ottawa's Milan Michalek, with 19 goals and 8 assists in 52 games with the Senators this season, will be an offensive answer on the left side of the Czechs' second line.
- The 2010 Winter Games are the first for Plekanec, who does have international experience at several World Championships. Only 27, Plekanec has proven to be a reliable point producer for the Canadiens and now has the opportunity to shine for his country on the Olympic stage.
- Boiled down to its essence, Vokoun's plan will ultimately tell the tale for the Czechs in Vancouver.
- Without strong goaltending, the Czechs will come up short against the Canadians, Russians and Swedes. But with Vokoun, who normally faces a ton of shots with the Florida Panthers, bringing his "A" game, he will help the Czechs steal a game or two and that will take this club a long way.
