Thursday's Olympic Hockey
By Judd Hall
All three favorites won on the opening day of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament. Yet only two of them covered their huge puck lines. We’ll see those same three hockey powers in action on Thursday. Let’s look at their matchups.
United States vs. Norway – 3:00 p.m. EST
The Americans had little problems overall in their 3-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday afternoon. Although the Swiss were very successful in playing some solid defense against the Yanks, the United States was still able to get off 24 shots on goal. Ryan Miller also had a great game, stopping 14 of 15 shots. What makes Miller’s performance more impressive is the fact that his defense broke down on two-thirds of that shots from Switzerland.
One thing we’ll definitely see from Norway is a defense that makes a sponge look less porous. The Norwegians let Canada rack up 42 SOG on them in an 8-0 rout. So is there anything that I can say that would make you believe that they could beat Team USA? Not really because the Americans looked confident when taking the puck into the attack zone. I don’t see any way that Norway can keep it close, let alone get a win in this spot.
Fearless Selection: United State on the puck line
Switzerland vs. Canada – 7:30 p.m. EST
Like I said earlier, the Swiss had a fairly solid gameplan on defense that helped them stay under the puck line of 2 ½ against the US. And Jonas Hiller Plus, Jonas Hiller had a good outing in stuffing 21 of the American’s 24 SOG.
Canada completely dominated Norway on Tuesday night 8-0. Jarome Iginla logged two goals (should have had a third, as well) and Roberto Luongo stopped all 15 shots he saw. Martin Brodeur will be in net for the Canadians on Thursday, though. What was noticeable in the game is chemistry could become an issue for this club, which sounds strange considering the talent they have on hand. But all that talent didn’t help them last time in Torino, did it?
Even though there could be some issues with the Canadian team, they won’t matter against Switzerland. The Swiss pulled off that huge upset of them in the 2006 Winter Olympics. And you can be sure that the five skaters and two backstops that were there for that debacle will rally the team for this spot.
Fearless Selection: Canada on the puck line
Slovakia vs. Russia – 11:55 p.m. EST
The Russians flexed their muscles on Tuesday night against an overmatched Latvian side, 8-2. Alex Ovechkin put in a pair of goals, while Evgeni Malkin popped one in the back of the net on the power play. Evgeni Nabokov had very little issues in stopping 18 of 20 SOG, which weren’t all that bad to give up.
Slovakia will be an interesting club to look at for this game. They are a darkhorse for getting a medal at this year’s games. What could prove to be a problem for the Slovaks is the fact that they are facing the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The Czechs are another team that could easily get a medal during this tourney, so you know Slovakia will have its hands full. Now you’re asking them to come out on no rest and take on one of the more prolific offenses we have seen in the Olympics. That’s just too much to ask of any team.
Fearless Selection: Russia on the puck line
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Thursday's Best Olympic Hockey Bets
Switzerland vs. Canada (-5.5, 7.5)
Team Switzerland has the unfortunate task of opening the 2010 Olympics with games against the United States and Canada. However, they showed some chops against the Americans, losing just 3-1 in their opening group game.
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller is a major cog for the Swiss. He turned away 21 shots and knows that knocking off one of hockey’s superpowers is no easy task.
"We have to do a better job of supporting the puck because we had some guys already up at the red line and the puck was still in our zone," Hiller told the media. "The first two periods we were just throwing the puck around, we were not compact enough and they had a lot of room.
"They got inside position in their zone as well as our zone. So I think we can definitely improve that against Canada."
Hiller entered the Olympics having posted a 2.70 GAA and a .919 save percentage in the first half of the NHL season. He’s hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Swiss puck stopper Martin Gerber, who blanked the high-powered Canadians 2-0 exactly four years ago in Torino.
Pick: Switzerland +5.5
Russia vs. Slovakia (+2.5, 6.5)
Slovakia has a quick turnaround after facing the Czech Republic late Wednesday. Limited down time is not what you want when facing a powerful Russian squad – especially when your roster is already thin due to injuries.
Top forwards Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Miroslav Satan are all questionable for this back-to-back stretch. Each player missed their final NHL games before the Olympics with Gaborik nursing a deep cut on his thigh, Hossa waiting medical clearance after a stiff hit and Satan dealing with an injured hand.
Russia destroyed Latvia, 8-2, Tuesday night and will be out for revenge against Slovakia after losing 5-3 to their rivals in the opening game of the 2006 Winter Games.
Pick: Russia -2.5