We are hours away from the rematch between the United States and Canada in men's hockey, the most important sport in the host country of this year's Olympics. While team Canada will have the home crowd to support them, they are going into this game knowing that the weight of their country is on their shoulders. For the US: Well, they are coming in as underdogs, so should they end up walking away with the silver, they can still hold their heads up high with their best finish since the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. But if you look at the numbers, the two teams are very evenly matched.
What's Going for Canada
Not only does Canada have home ice advantage, they also boast better offensive numbers than the US with players having scored 3 goals or more and team that has scored 32 goals in this tournament compared to the US's 22 team goals. Jerome Iginla leads all Olympians with 5 goals but only 6 points. Roberto Luongo has held steady since coming in for Martin Brodeur after the 5-3 loss to the US in the round robin play, stopping 91% of shots faced and sporting a slim 1.75 GAA.
Jonathan Toews leads the tournament with a +9 rating, showing that he can make plays. All of his points are assists, so they'll really need him to make some big plays this afternoon.
Why Canada Should Worry
Canada was the front runner to win this tournament before the rosters were even finalized. But with a close shootout win over Switzerland and the embarrassing loss to the US (it was embarrassing because they just didn't play well), the spirits and confidence of the players is shaken. Making a goalie change in the middle of the tournament is often considered a desperate move. It paid off for Canada since they won their next three. However, Luongo has allowed 7 goals in three games while the US's Ryan Miller has allowed 6 goals in the entire tournament. Canada needs to play exponentially better than they have shone throughout the tournament in order to stop a high-flying US team.
Sidney Crosby only has 3 goals in this tournament. His country will really be looking for him to have the game of his lifeWhat's Going for the US
The US team is in the driver's seat going into this game. Canada has all this pressure to win and prove that they are the hockey Mecca of the world on their own soil. The disappointment of a loss to the US would devastate the team and the entire country. What if the US loses? We shrug our shoulders and say, "Yeah, well, we were playing Canada. We still did pretty well."
Though there isn't as much pressure on the US team to pull off gold, there should be. The US has been the dominate team in this tournament despite only having scored 22 goals. The reason: goaltender Ryan Miller (out of Michigan State University, in case you were wondering). He has been the best player in the entire tournament, hands down. He has stopped 95% of shots faced...in NHL talk that means a 1.04 GAA and has allowed 5 goals in 5 games. His worst game was when he allowed 3 goals against Canada but still stood on his head.
If they gave a Conn Smythe trophy in the Olympics, Ryan Miller would win
Other than Ryan Miller playing out of his mind, the team's best scorer right now is (oddly enough) Brian Rafalski (another Michigan native, not that I'm biased). 4 goals in 2 straight games including 2 against team Canada in the first meeting would never be seen during an NHL game, but helpful nonetheless. Zach Parise has 7 points and leads US forwards.
Why the US Should Worry
Canada is sore from the loss in the round robin play, so they will be coming out of the gate with guns blazing. The US defense will have to stay on their toes and the offense will have to have good puck control to keep it in the Canada end. Canada will be playing aggressive and desperate hockey and the US needs to be prepared. They will be looking at Ryan Miller to pull out one more amazing performance because he will be facing a barrage of Canadian shots. They can't let Canada wear them down.
The Prediction
The US team is in the driver's seat going into this game. Canada has all this pressure to win and prove that they are the hockey Mecca of the world on their own soil. The disappointment of a loss to the US would devastate the team and the entire country. What if the US loses? We shrug our shoulders and say, "Yeah, well, we were playing Canada. We still did pretty well."
Though there isn't as much pressure on the US team to pull off gold, there should be. The US has been the dominate team in this tournament despite only having scored 22 goals. The reason: goaltender Ryan Miller (out of Michigan State University, in case you were wondering). He has been the best player in the entire tournament, hands down. He has stopped 95% of shots faced...in NHL talk that means a 1.04 GAA and has allowed 5 goals in 5 games. His worst game was when he allowed 3 goals against Canada but still stood on his head.
If they gave a Conn Smythe trophy in the Olympics, Ryan Miller would win
Other than Ryan Miller playing out of his mind, the team's best scorer right now is (oddly enough) Brian Rafalski (another Michigan native, not that I'm biased). 4 goals in 2 straight games including 2 against team Canada in the first meeting would never be seen during an NHL game, but helpful nonetheless. Zach Parise has 7 points and leads US forwards.
Why the US Should Worry
Canada is sore from the loss in the round robin play, so they will be coming out of the gate with guns blazing. The US defense will have to stay on their toes and the offense will have to have good puck control to keep it in the Canada end. Canada will be playing aggressive and desperate hockey and the US needs to be prepared. They will be looking at Ryan Miller to pull out one more amazing performance because he will be facing a barrage of Canadian shots. They can't let Canada wear them down.
The Prediction
My hockey mentor Don Cherry is picking Canada to win this game with a score of 5-3. After much debate and inner monologuing, I've decided that this game really could go either way. Canada could come out and rack up 5 goals in the first, and the US could possibly chase another goaltender from the Canada net. But since I have to make a prediction...I'm going to say that Ryan Miller does pull one more Oscar winning performance out of his butt and the US takes the gold with a score of 3-2. I think it's going to be a good game regardless, and no one south the international border will be disappointed no matter what the outcome.
But no matter what the score is, according to Gary Bettman, the NHL wins...apparently...God I hate this guy.
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