Youthful USA should go through to gold medal game
Time for hosts to claim what is rightfully theirs
THE preliminaries have been played. The seeding has been set. And wow, what a difference a day can make. Canada, previously the hands down favorite to win the gold medal is now ranked sixth going into the playoff rounds after being stunned by the Americans in a 5-3 loss.
Swedes should – but may not – edge tight game
A REMATCH of the 2006 Gold Medal game, this one will be high intensity from the start.
Russia favourites by a hair in mouth-watering match up
THIS game between Russia and the Czech Republic, respectively ranked number 2 and 5 to win the tournament outright, will likely be a high-flying and high-scoring affair.
Germany's Canuck Christian Ehrhoff
THIS game, featuring two teams who have about as much chance of winning a medal as Leafs do of winning the Stanley Cup, may actually produce one of the more exciting and unpredictable games of the preliminaries.
While the Belarussians are the bookmakers favorites at -110, this match has some of the tightest odds of the entire tournament, so getting a bead on even a slight edge may be enough to turn this one into a money maker.
Swiss on course for victory – and possible shutout
A BATTLE at the bottom, Norway and Switzerland will be fighting to regain national pride in this not-so-epic of battles. Very few of even the most dedicated hockey fans will recognize many names in this one. History could be made, however, as Norway could possibly pick up their first ever Olympic top-tier win.
Scoop a decent payday with the Finns
Latvians playing for – but unlikely to find – respect
Only nuttiest bettors will be backing Belarus
WHILE Belarus may have had a chance against the ailing Finns, the outcome of this game is all but predetermined. The Swedes have a roster stacked with NHLers, and will be the Vancouver crowd’s second choice after Team Canada as they feature hometown hero’s Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
