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.
Canadian swagger may be the undoing of the hosts
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.
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.
Slovaks may find chink in Russian armour
THE world’s best snipers will be donning their Russian uniforms for their first big test against a legitimate foe in this exciting clash.
Slovakia was the only team to beat the mighty Russians in preliminary play at the 2006 Olympics, and they won by a margin of 5-3. Straight up, the smart money is not on a repeat of that upset, but the experienced Slovaks may just find a chink in the seemingly impenetrable Russian armour.
Canada offer easy money against the Swiss
AFTER treating the Norway match like a last-minute warm up game where the first line saw limited ice time, Canada will be ramping up its efforts for the impending challenge in the form of the American team.
Set your PVR for 4:30, because the Canadians will be lighting up the scoreboard with highlight reel goals that should make for very entertaining replays.
