Olympic Men?s Hockey Semi-Finals Preview
Hockey fans have already had one delicious appetizer when the United States upset Canada last Sunday and the hope out of Finland and Slovakia is these two will win today, setting up a gold medal game on Sunday. With so much at stake neither can afford to look ahead, especially the Americans, as the team north of the border appears to be back on top of their game.
Finland vs. United States
For the United States, it?s all about patience as it needs two more wins to become Olympic men?s hockey champions again. For Finland, it?s all about ? well, finishing. Looking to reach the gold medal game for the second time in three Olympics, the United States on Friday night faces off against Finland, which hopes to return to the final for another chance at its first championship.
Team USA has six wins and two ties in 11 Olympic games against Finland. No game was bigger, though, than their matchup in 1980 at Lake Placid. After stunning the world by beating the vaunted Soviet Union, the Americans completed the ?Miracle on Ice? with a 4-2 victory for their first gold since 1960. The Finns eliminated the Americans in the quarterfinals four years ago in Turin en route to winning a silver medal.
What these teams have in common in 2010 are stifling defenses with both coming off shutouts. Through four games, the Americans have allowed five goals - one more than Finland.
The winner of this contest will face either Canada, which the Americans already stunned in round-robin play, or first-time semifinalist Slovakia on Sunday. But Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres said Team USA?s focus continues to be the game at hand and not what could be coming.
?I don?t think we got this far by looking ahead,? said Miller, who?s stopped 85 of 90 shots for a 1.25 goals-against average. ?We?ve always focused on that one game we needed. This will be a bigger test for our locker room to see if we can keep our heads in the right spot.?
Miller turned away 19 shots and Zach Parise scored two third-period goals as the United States advanced Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Switzerland. It was the second time the Americans defeated the Swiss, having posted a 3-1 victory in the Olympic opener. The Americans have tallied 16 goals in Vancouver compared to 12 by Finland. Parise said not to expect much in the way of scoring in this contest.
?We?ve really got to be ready to play. It?s going to be a tough team, it?s going to be a tough game. We have to make sure that we?re ready to go. We?re expecting another really tight, low-scoring game,? he said.
That was what Finland delivered its last time out with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Calgary?s Miikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves and Flames teammate Niklas Hagman broke a scoreless tie by tipping in Janne Niskala?s slap shot for a power-play goal with 6:26 to play. Valtteri Filppula of the Detroit Red Wings added an empty-netter.
After beating the Americans at Turin, Finland blanked Russia before falling to Nordic rival Sweden 3-2 in the title game. The Finns have won two silver and two bronzes, but are trying to become the seventh nation to sport gold.
?We are probably not the biggest favorites here,? said Kiprusoff, who has a 1.33 GAA through three games in British Columbia. ?But when you play as a team, everything is possible.?
What the Finns have shown is an ability to capitalize on opponents? mistakes. Seven of Finland?s goals have come on the power play, with Hagman and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen each scoring two.
?We have a very difficult game against Finland,? Miller conceded. ?They are very fast, they?re very well organized.?
Finnish icon Teemu Selanne is prepared for whatever may happen. The 39-year-old Anaheim Ducks star became the all-time leading scorer in the Olympics? modern era during these games, but a loss will all but certainly cap his international career. ?It?s not going to be easy,? Selanne said. ?We want to play our best game that night, and whatever happens, we can live with that.?
Finland is expected to have Joni Pitkanen back in the lineup. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman was suspended one game for delivering a check to the head of Sweden?s Patric Hornqvist that resulted in a game misconduct Sunday.
Sportsbook.com has the U.S. as -185 money line favorites with total of 4.5.
Slovakia vs. Canada
Canada?s rich Olympic history in men?s ice hockey is punctuated with a total of 12 medals. Slovakia, meanwhile, will try to make a little more history while seeking its first. A pair of teams brimming with confidence off stunning wins meet Friday night when the resurgent Canadians take on the upstart Slovakians with a berth in Sunday?s gold medal game on the line.
After routing Germany 8-2 in a qualification game Tuesday to reach the playoff round, Canada faced Russia the next night in what appeared to be a matchup with championship overtones. It was anything but as the Canadians scored three times in the first 13 minutes and rolled to a 7-3 win. Anaheim?s Corey Perry scored twice, and Ducks teammate Ryan Getzlaf and Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks each had a goal and two assists.
?We just wanted to step on the gas pedal from the drop of the puck,? Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said after Canada also dominated Russia with a hard-checking edge.
?It?s always try to break their will, that?s what you try to do out there, you?re trying to break the other team,? Getzlaf said.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that high-scoring Sidney Crosby failed to notch a point in his matchup against Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, who also was held off the scoresheet. Crosby is tied with Ovechkin for the NHL lead with 42 goals. While the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has six points during his much-ballyhooed Olympic debut, Canada has received bigger contributions from other sources.
Dany Heatley of the Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks? Jonathan Toews - also a first-time Olympian - are tied with Slovakia?s Marian Hossa and Pavol Demitra for the scoring lead with seven points each. Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla has a team-high five goals for the Canadians.
Besides rediscovering an offensive spark, Canada also has gotten great play from Roberto Luongo of the hometown Canucks. Luongo, who blanked Norway in the Olympic opener and later replaced an ineffective Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, has posted a 1.67 goals-against average so far.
To skate away with its seventh gold and second in three Olympics, Canada is halfway home to its goal of winning four games in a five-day span. No team has taken gold on its home soil since the ?Miracle on Ice? U.S. team at Lake Placid 30 years ago. ?We try to prove on a regular basis that?s it ours,? Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the importance placed on hockey in the fabric of Canadian life. ?I?m a bit of a redneck, and I think it?s ours.?
While the Canadians are used to having medals hanging from their necks, reaching this round is all-new territory for Slovakia, which advanced to its first Olympic semifinal by pulling off the biggest upset so far in British Columbia.
Tomas Kopecky of the Blackhawks scored the decisive goal in the third period in a 4-3 win over defending Olympic champion Sweden on Tuesday. ?It?s the biggest achievement so far in the short history of Slovak Republic,? forward Miroslav Satan of the Boston Bruins said. ?We definitely going to enjoy it for a while and then focus on the next game.?
Following the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Slovaks had never finished higher than fifth in any of four Olympics. While Satan is confident, he also knows where his country stands among the four teams remaining.
?Canada is probably the best team in this tournament,? he said. ?We?re going to be the underdog as we were (against Sweden), so we have nothing to lose.?
Getting off to a quick start against the host nation will be key if Slovakia wants a shot at gold. ?We know they?re going to come out hard, they?re going to play at home, and the first 10 minutes are of the game are going to be important, the first period,? said Marian Gaborik. ?They?re a very strong team and it?s going to be tough, but so was this game and we beat Sweden.?
Gaborik has overcome a badly lacerated thigh suffered in a practice with the New York Rangers earlier this month to lead Slovakia with three goals, and Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens has a 1.97 GAA with one shutout.
The winner of this contest will face either the United States or Finland for the gold medal.
Presently, no money line is available, however Canada extra large -2.5 on puck line at Even money, with total of six.
Hockey fans have already had one delicious appetizer when the United States upset Canada last Sunday and the hope out of Finland and Slovakia is these two will win today, setting up a gold medal game on Sunday. With so much at stake neither can afford to look ahead, especially the Americans, as the team north of the border appears to be back on top of their game.
Finland vs. United States
For the United States, it?s all about patience as it needs two more wins to become Olympic men?s hockey champions again. For Finland, it?s all about ? well, finishing. Looking to reach the gold medal game for the second time in three Olympics, the United States on Friday night faces off against Finland, which hopes to return to the final for another chance at its first championship.
Team USA has six wins and two ties in 11 Olympic games against Finland. No game was bigger, though, than their matchup in 1980 at Lake Placid. After stunning the world by beating the vaunted Soviet Union, the Americans completed the ?Miracle on Ice? with a 4-2 victory for their first gold since 1960. The Finns eliminated the Americans in the quarterfinals four years ago in Turin en route to winning a silver medal.
What these teams have in common in 2010 are stifling defenses with both coming off shutouts. Through four games, the Americans have allowed five goals - one more than Finland.
The winner of this contest will face either Canada, which the Americans already stunned in round-robin play, or first-time semifinalist Slovakia on Sunday. But Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres said Team USA?s focus continues to be the game at hand and not what could be coming.
?I don?t think we got this far by looking ahead,? said Miller, who?s stopped 85 of 90 shots for a 1.25 goals-against average. ?We?ve always focused on that one game we needed. This will be a bigger test for our locker room to see if we can keep our heads in the right spot.?
Miller turned away 19 shots and Zach Parise scored two third-period goals as the United States advanced Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Switzerland. It was the second time the Americans defeated the Swiss, having posted a 3-1 victory in the Olympic opener. The Americans have tallied 16 goals in Vancouver compared to 12 by Finland. Parise said not to expect much in the way of scoring in this contest.
?We?ve really got to be ready to play. It?s going to be a tough team, it?s going to be a tough game. We have to make sure that we?re ready to go. We?re expecting another really tight, low-scoring game,? he said.
That was what Finland delivered its last time out with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Calgary?s Miikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves and Flames teammate Niklas Hagman broke a scoreless tie by tipping in Janne Niskala?s slap shot for a power-play goal with 6:26 to play. Valtteri Filppula of the Detroit Red Wings added an empty-netter.
After beating the Americans at Turin, Finland blanked Russia before falling to Nordic rival Sweden 3-2 in the title game. The Finns have won two silver and two bronzes, but are trying to become the seventh nation to sport gold.
?We are probably not the biggest favorites here,? said Kiprusoff, who has a 1.33 GAA through three games in British Columbia. ?But when you play as a team, everything is possible.?
What the Finns have shown is an ability to capitalize on opponents? mistakes. Seven of Finland?s goals have come on the power play, with Hagman and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen each scoring two.
?We have a very difficult game against Finland,? Miller conceded. ?They are very fast, they?re very well organized.?
Finnish icon Teemu Selanne is prepared for whatever may happen. The 39-year-old Anaheim Ducks star became the all-time leading scorer in the Olympics? modern era during these games, but a loss will all but certainly cap his international career. ?It?s not going to be easy,? Selanne said. ?We want to play our best game that night, and whatever happens, we can live with that.?
Finland is expected to have Joni Pitkanen back in the lineup. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman was suspended one game for delivering a check to the head of Sweden?s Patric Hornqvist that resulted in a game misconduct Sunday.
Sportsbook.com has the U.S. as -185 money line favorites with total of 4.5.
Slovakia vs. Canada
Canada?s rich Olympic history in men?s ice hockey is punctuated with a total of 12 medals. Slovakia, meanwhile, will try to make a little more history while seeking its first. A pair of teams brimming with confidence off stunning wins meet Friday night when the resurgent Canadians take on the upstart Slovakians with a berth in Sunday?s gold medal game on the line.
After routing Germany 8-2 in a qualification game Tuesday to reach the playoff round, Canada faced Russia the next night in what appeared to be a matchup with championship overtones. It was anything but as the Canadians scored three times in the first 13 minutes and rolled to a 7-3 win. Anaheim?s Corey Perry scored twice, and Ducks teammate Ryan Getzlaf and Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks each had a goal and two assists.
?We just wanted to step on the gas pedal from the drop of the puck,? Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said after Canada also dominated Russia with a hard-checking edge.
?It?s always try to break their will, that?s what you try to do out there, you?re trying to break the other team,? Getzlaf said.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that high-scoring Sidney Crosby failed to notch a point in his matchup against Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, who also was held off the scoresheet. Crosby is tied with Ovechkin for the NHL lead with 42 goals. While the Pittsburgh Penguins captain has six points during his much-ballyhooed Olympic debut, Canada has received bigger contributions from other sources.
Dany Heatley of the Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks? Jonathan Toews - also a first-time Olympian - are tied with Slovakia?s Marian Hossa and Pavol Demitra for the scoring lead with seven points each. Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla has a team-high five goals for the Canadians.
Besides rediscovering an offensive spark, Canada also has gotten great play from Roberto Luongo of the hometown Canucks. Luongo, who blanked Norway in the Olympic opener and later replaced an ineffective Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, has posted a 1.67 goals-against average so far.
To skate away with its seventh gold and second in three Olympics, Canada is halfway home to its goal of winning four games in a five-day span. No team has taken gold on its home soil since the ?Miracle on Ice? U.S. team at Lake Placid 30 years ago. ?We try to prove on a regular basis that?s it ours,? Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the importance placed on hockey in the fabric of Canadian life. ?I?m a bit of a redneck, and I think it?s ours.?
While the Canadians are used to having medals hanging from their necks, reaching this round is all-new territory for Slovakia, which advanced to its first Olympic semifinal by pulling off the biggest upset so far in British Columbia.
Tomas Kopecky of the Blackhawks scored the decisive goal in the third period in a 4-3 win over defending Olympic champion Sweden on Tuesday. ?It?s the biggest achievement so far in the short history of Slovak Republic,? forward Miroslav Satan of the Boston Bruins said. ?We definitely going to enjoy it for a while and then focus on the next game.?
Following the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Slovaks had never finished higher than fifth in any of four Olympics. While Satan is confident, he also knows where his country stands among the four teams remaining.
?Canada is probably the best team in this tournament,? he said. ?We?re going to be the underdog as we were (against Sweden), so we have nothing to lose.?
Getting off to a quick start against the host nation will be key if Slovakia wants a shot at gold. ?We know they?re going to come out hard, they?re going to play at home, and the first 10 minutes are of the game are going to be important, the first period,? said Marian Gaborik. ?They?re a very strong team and it?s going to be tough, but so was this game and we beat Sweden.?
Gaborik has overcome a badly lacerated thigh suffered in a practice with the New York Rangers earlier this month to lead Slovakia with three goals, and Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens has a 1.97 GAA with one shutout.
The winner of this contest will face either the United States or Finland for the gold medal.
Presently, no money line is available, however Canada extra large -2.5 on puck line at Even money, with total of six.
