The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
- Two Norwegian players impressed at these Olympics, and one of them could attract some attention from the NHL. Pal Grotnes, Norway’s starting goaltender, earned himself an .890 save percentage during his Olympic tournament. He stopped a staggering 196 shots in only four games played. Forward Thor Vikingstad not only has the most Scandinavian name you’ve ever heard, but he’s also a good hockey player. Originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1999, Thor scored a hat trick in Norway’s game against Switzerland in the last game of the round robin, and added another in last night’s loss to Slovakia. At 34 years old, he likely has no future in the NHL, but kudos to him for a great tournament.
- Apparently, Marco Sturm doesn’t have much faith in his native country’s hockey program. When asked if the future of the German National team is bright, he replied “Not really. It’s going to keep going the same way for a very, very long time.”
- Mark Streit played a remarkable 30 minutes in Team Switzerland’s win over Belarus, five minutes more than any of his teammates. The Swiss captain also assisted on his team’s second goal.
Looking at today’s quarterfinals:
Quarterfinal # 1 – USA vs. Switzerland, 12:00 pm PT, 3:00 pm ET
- Interesting how there seems to be absolutely zero pressure on the USA coming into Wednesday’s quarterfinal. Granted, the Americans have an easier road to the Gold Medal game than most teams, but they will need to emerge victorious over the winner of the Switzerland-Belarus game, before taking on the winner of quarterfinal number two, likely Finland-Czech Republic. Brian Burke seems to have done wonders for the American player psyche’s by proclaiming his team as underdogs from the very beginning. Now that they are playing well, it is a welcome surprise, rather than an expected outcome.
- Team Switzerland earned themselves a date with Team USA after a dramatic 3-2 shootout win over Belarus on Tuesday afternoon. The Americans will not take Switzerland lightly, as they initially struggled against them in a 3-1 round robin victory. Team USA has also seen what Swiss starter Jonas Hiller can do, as he almost single-handedly beat Team Canada, taking them all the way to a shootout. American coach Ron Wilson has made it clear they will not take the Swiss lightly – adding that the last time a number one seed won the Gold Medal was 1988, the same year Patrick Kane was born.
Quarterfinal # 2 – Russian Federation vs. Canada, 4:30 pm PT, 7:30 pm ET
- The entire nation of Canada was sent spinning into panic mode on Sunday after Team Canada’s loss to the United States. It is becoming increasingly apparent that anything less than a gold medal will be a colossal disappointment for this country. Canada’s road to the gold medal game is a rough one, but fans should keep the faith. In 2002, when Team Canada won the gold medal in Salt Lake City, they initially struggled during the round robin. Canada’s record was a mediocre 1-1-1 after the preliminary round. Their only victory was over Germany in a tight 3-2 contest; Canada tied the Czech Republic 3-3 and lost to Sweden 5-2, barely advancing to the playoff round. In the quarters, Canada squeaked by Finland, 2-1, and then walked all over Belarus 7-1 in the semi-finals. The piece de resistance was a fantastic 5-2 victory in the Gold Medal game over Team USA on their home turf, two days after the women’s team had done the same. So don’t despair Canadians — the road to Gold might be tough, but it will be that much sweeter if you get there.
- He finally did it. Playing in his 10th Olympic game, Rick Nash scored his first Olympic goal. This is important for Canada, who will need everyone to perform vs. Russia.
- As Pierre McGuire mentioned at least a dozen times, Canada’s “science experiment” of putting Eric Staal and Jarome Iginla with Sidney Crosby produced positive results. The host country’s top line recorded five points last night, and will need to be at their very best tonight vs. the Russian Federation. In a related note: Shut up, Pierre McGuire.
- An interesting stat for Canadian fans: In his last two visits to GM Place, or Canada Hockey Place for until Monday, Alex Ovechkin has been held without a point. Thats right, in the last two seasons, Ovi has been unable to score a goal on Roberto Luongo. Let’s see if Bobby Lou can keep the streak alive.
Quarterfinal # 3 – Finland vs. Czech Republic, 7:00 pm PT, 10:00 pm ET
- The Czech Republic earned an unimpressive win over the Latvians late last night, winning on a David Krejci goal in overtime. Team Latvia, which is largely composed of players from Dynamo Riga of the KHL, gave the Czechs quite a scare. Latvian goaltender Edgars Malskalskis truly stood on his head, making 49 saves before Krejci beat him on a 30-foot clapper in OT. The Czechs are happy that they managed a win, but will need to play much, much better if they want to advance past Finland.
- Jaromir Jagr left Tuesday’s game with an upper-body injury, possibly connected to the hit he took from Alexander Ovechkin. It is unclear if Jagr will return, but it looks as though he may be done.
- What is clear about Jagr is his ability to play at a high level. He has expressed interest to remain in the NHL, and will likely have several suitors.
Quarterfinal # 4 – Sweden vs. Slovakia, 9:00 pm PT, 12:00 am ET
- Sweden will be expected to take this one, but the Slovaks have beaten the Russians in this tournament which was no accident. The fleet-of-foot and highly skilled Slovakians have benefited from the surprising energy of Pavol Demitra, who is still trying to work his way onto the top two lines on the Canucks, but is playing like Demitra of old. The “Demitra of old” played some of his best years on the Minnesota Wild alongside countryman Marian Gaborik.
- Jaroslav Halak has the ability to put mediocre teams on his shoulders and he’ll be tough for Sweden to solve. His .930 save percentage is third-best in the tournament. First in the tournament? Henrik Lundqvist, who hasn’t allowed a goal.
