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Friday's Olympic Hockey Cheat Sheet
Covers.com
Here's a look at Friday's Olympic men's hockey action:
Czech Republic vs. Latvia (+540)
The Czechs started flat in their opening game and couldn't recover, ultimately falling 4-2 to Sweden. They should have an easier time of it against a Latvian squad that dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Switzerland but simply doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep up with the elite teams. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to get the start in goal for the Czech Republic after being held out of the opener as Jakub Kovar drew the start against the Swedes but was yanked after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
Sweden vs. Switzerland (+420)
The Swedish offense looked impressive in its win over the Czech Republic, getting a pair of goals from standout defenseman Erik Karlsson and singles from Henrik Zetterberg and Patrik Berglund. Zetterberg is a question mark for the game with a herniated disc issue in his back; he'll need to be cleared by NHL doctors before being given the go-ahead to play. The Swiss were fortunate to squeak past Latvia - getting its only goal with 7.9 seconds remaining - and will need a much better performance from its power play, which went 0-for-5 on the evening.
Canada vs. Austria (OFF)
Much was made of the decision to start Carey Price ahead of Roberto Luongo in the Canadian net for the defending champion's tournament opener against the Norwegians. Luongo gets his shot to make a positive contribution against an Austrian side that thoroughly dismantled 8-4 by fringe contender Finland on Thursday. The Austrians showed they won't be pushovers on the offensive end - getting a hat trick from New York Islanders forward Michael Grabner - but looked overwhelmed defensively, surrendering 52 shots and a pair of power-play goals.
Norway vs. Finland (-1,429)
The Finns' balanced lineup has been the focus heading into the competition, and it was on full display in Thursday's rout of the Austrians. Thirteen different players finished with at least one point, led by Mikael Granlund (two goals, one assist), Sami Vatanen (three assists) and Jarkko Immonen (two goals). Veteran forward Teemu Selanne left the game with an upper-body injury, but is expected to be in the lineup against Norway. Expect either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi to start in goal for Finland after Tuukka Rask allowed four goals on 20 shots in the opener.
Covers.com
Here's a look at Friday's Olympic men's hockey action:
Czech Republic vs. Latvia (+540)
The Czechs started flat in their opening game and couldn't recover, ultimately falling 4-2 to Sweden. They should have an easier time of it against a Latvian squad that dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Switzerland but simply doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep up with the elite teams. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to get the start in goal for the Czech Republic after being held out of the opener as Jakub Kovar drew the start against the Swedes but was yanked after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
Sweden vs. Switzerland (+420)
The Swedish offense looked impressive in its win over the Czech Republic, getting a pair of goals from standout defenseman Erik Karlsson and singles from Henrik Zetterberg and Patrik Berglund. Zetterberg is a question mark for the game with a herniated disc issue in his back; he'll need to be cleared by NHL doctors before being given the go-ahead to play. The Swiss were fortunate to squeak past Latvia - getting its only goal with 7.9 seconds remaining - and will need a much better performance from its power play, which went 0-for-5 on the evening.
Canada vs. Austria (OFF)
Much was made of the decision to start Carey Price ahead of Roberto Luongo in the Canadian net for the defending champion's tournament opener against the Norwegians. Luongo gets his shot to make a positive contribution against an Austrian side that thoroughly dismantled 8-4 by fringe contender Finland on Thursday. The Austrians showed they won't be pushovers on the offensive end - getting a hat trick from New York Islanders forward Michael Grabner - but looked overwhelmed defensively, surrendering 52 shots and a pair of power-play goals.
Norway vs. Finland (-1,429)
The Finns' balanced lineup has been the focus heading into the competition, and it was on full display in Thursday's rout of the Austrians. Thirteen different players finished with at least one point, led by Mikael Granlund (two goals, one assist), Sami Vatanen (three assists) and Jarkko Immonen (two goals). Veteran forward Teemu Selanne left the game with an upper-body injury, but is expected to be in the lineup against Norway. Expect either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi to start in goal for Finland after Tuukka Rask allowed four goals on 20 shots in the opener.