The Canadian women hit the US hard right from the start of the game.  In fact, they scored both of their goals in the first period, and the rest of the game went without either team putting one in the net.  Marie-Philip Poulin started things off for the Canadians at the 13:55 mark with a shot off the point.  She followed it up just three minutes later with the second and final goal of the game.

Though the Americans turned up the heat throughout the second and third periods, they were unable to catch up, and the Canadian women took the gold medal with their 2-0 victory.

Though the women put on a fine show, the men played one of the best games I’ve seen throughout these Olympic games.  It looked like the Canadians were looking for a little retribution for the defeat the USA handed them in the qualifying round.  Jonathan Toews put the first one past USA goalie Ryan Miller at the 12:50 mark in the first period.  Though, with the gold medal on the line, the American defense picked it up and managed to hold off the Canadians for the remainder of the first period.

The 1-0 score lasted through more than half of the second period of the game with both teams playing superb defense.  But Corey Perry knocked one in at 7:13, putting the Canadians up 2-0.  Feeling the pressure, the Americans weren’t about to give up and quickly answered back with a goal from veteran Ryan Kesler to put USA up on the board.  This is when things started to get even more interesting.

The third period was all defense for the Americans.  They held off the Canadian onslaught for the entire period, and, still a goal down, they called a time out with less than 30 seconds left in the game.  Whatever was said during that timeout worked because, in a moment of ice hockey brilliance, they came back and scored a goal!  With just seconds remaining, they hit the Canadian net hard, and Zach Parise knocked in a rebound to tie up the game.  It was heading into overtime.

After a much-needed sweep from the Zamboni, overtime saw both teams working the ice even harder if that’s possible.  Both teams were playing nearly perfect hockey with the defense, once again, working overtime for the Americans.  But just a single slip up in this game is costly, which was proven when the puck just slipped past Brian Rafalski’s stick to set up Sidney Crosby’s game winning goal at the 7:40 mark.  It put Canada up 3-2 and gave them the gold medal.

The final medal count ended up with the USA on top (37), Germany (30), Canada (26), Norway (23), and Austria rounding out the top five (16).  It was a brilliant winter games particularly for ice hockey, but the NHL season must resume.  All players have returned from representing their respective countries to complete the regular season and head into the playoffs.  March 2 kicks off with 12 games, and BetUS is offering odds:

Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins
Puck Line
Canadiens: +1 ½ -210
Bruins: -1 ½ +170

Carolina Hurricanes v Toronto Maple Leafs
Puck Line
Hurricanes: +1 ½ -255
Maple Leafs: -1 ½ +215

Florida Panthers v Atlanta Thrashers
Puck Line
Panthers: +1 ½ -250
Thrashers: -1 ½ +210

Chicago Blackhawks v New York Islanders
Puck Line
Blackhawks: -1 ½ +165
Islanders: +1 ½ -200

Philadelphia Flyers v Tampa Bay Lightning
Puck Line
Flyers: -1 ½ +220
Lightning: +1 ½ -260

The USA hit the ice running, scoring the first goal of the game just 41 seconds in after Brian Rafalski knocked one past goalie Martin Brodeur.  The game remained 1-0 until Eric Staal put away the first goal for Canada at the 8:53 mark.  But, the Americans quickly answered back, once again reclaiming their lead with another goal from Rafalski less than a minute later.
The score was 2-0 going into the second, but not for long.  Canada came on strong and the persistence paid off.  Dany Heatley knocked in a goal to tie up the score. But, once again, the US answered back.  Chris Drury regained the lead for the Americans with another goal at the 16:46 mark.  This was followed by three penalties against the Canadians that sent Staal, Sidney Crosby, and Corey Perry to the box respectively.  And though the Americans had ample opportunity they were not able to capitalize on the power play.

The third period got off to a start with another goal for Team USA when Jamie Langenbrunner knocked one in to put the Americans up 4-2.  The Canadians, not willing to give up, took advantage of a power play and scored a goal at the 16:51 mark.  Just one point down and feeling the end of the game approaching, the Canadians really turned up the heat in the final two minutes of the game.  Play remained largely in the US defensive zone with the Canadians hammering the net with shots.  They even pulled their goalie to get the 6th man on the ice, but it was to no avail.  The US shut down everything they had, and then sealed the deal with a sweeping shot from Ryan Kesler on an empty Canadian net that put the final score at 5-3.

Though the young guns on the USA offense put on quite a show, it was goalie Ryan Miller that was the real hero of this game.  In one of the most impressive performances of these winter games so far that saw the Canadians out shoot the Americans 45-23, Miller made an amazing 42 saves.

This win gives the USA - who have been doubted throughout these games for being too young and inexperienced - a 3-0 record and puts them at the top of Group A with 9 points.  They’re guaranteed a spot in the Quarterfinals while Canada will now go on to face Germany in the Playoff Qualifications.

In other Olympic hockey news, the USA women have also continued to impress.  They’re plowing through the competition after just handing Sweden a 9-1 loss.  Both teams are well on their way to a gold medal.  Let’s just hope that they continue to play excellent hockey.  And, as these games continue, BetUS is offering odds on all the upcoming games.

Men’s Odds:
Canada v Germany
Puck Line
Canada: -4 ½ -135
Germany: +4 ½ -105

Czech Republic v Latvia
Puck Line
Czech: -3 ½ -105
Latvia: +3 ½ -135

Slovakia v Norway
Puck Line
Slovakia: -3 ½ -105
Norway: +3 ½ -135
Moneyline
Slovakia: -5000
Norway: +1200

Switzerland v Belarus
Puck Line
Switzerland: -1/2 -130
Belarus: +1/2 -110
Moneyline
Switzerland: -225
Belarus: +175

The women kicked off their quest for gold with a massive 12-1 win over China.  Veteran defender Angela Ruggerio picked up the first goal of the game just two minutes into the first period.  It was to set the tone for the game in which the USA heavily dominated the Chinese.  Star forward Jenny Potter picked up a hat-trick, two assists, and put away her 26th Olympic goal, making her the highest scorer on a team full of talent.

They followed their first win with another massive win over Russia.  The USA managed to shut their opponents out with a 13-0 victory.  Again, they dominated the game right from the start with Monique Lamoureux slapping in the first goal at the 2:19 mark in the first period.  This was followed up by 4 more goals in the first.  They also managed to capitalize on a power play with Ruggerio, Kelli Stack, Natalie Darwitz, and Lamoureux all picking up goals.   The USA will now go on to face Finland on February 18.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

USA: -6 ½ -145
Finland: +6 ½ +105

China: pk +115
Russia: pk -155

The men also got off to a strong start by handing Switzerland a 3-1 loss.  In what turned out to be a pretty great matchup, Bobby Ryan got things rolling for the Americans with the first goal of the game at the 18:59 mark.  It was followed by a quick goal by David Backes five minutes into the second.  Ryan Malone wrapped up the game with the third goal for the US in the second while Roman Wick managed to grab the only goal for the Swiss around the middle of the third period.

It was an excellent start for Team USA as many have been wondering how the team would perform. It is the youngest team in the tournament, sporting no less than 16 players under the age of 26.  And, though many of them are making their first appearance in the Olympic games, the pressure doesn’t seem to be a factor.  The USA will play their second game of tournament on February 18 against Norway.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Switzerland: +5 -130
Canada: -5 -110

Slovakia: +2 ½ -125
Russia: -2 ½ -115

Belarus: +3 ½ -125
Sweden: -3 ½ -120

Czech Republic: -3 -145
Germany: -2 ½ +105

As far as the competition goes, as mentioned in last week’s post, Canada is posing the biggest threat.  Their women’s team has gotten off to an equally big start as the USA as they trounced Slovakia 18-0.  They followed it up with a 10-1 win over Switzerland.  The men have also faired well, starting their Olympic bid off with an 8-0 win over Norway.  There is little doubt in my mind that these two women’s teams will meet up for an excellent gold medal game, but it will interesting to see if the USA men’s inexperience will start to show as the games progress.  Or will their underdog status inspire them?

Check out BetUS to put down a wager before the games get started on February 19.

There has been a lot of talk over this year’s hockey squad.  For the most part, this year’s team is pretty young and has no Olympic experience.

The offense is comprised of players like Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, and Bobby Ryan.  All four are under the age of 26, but they’ve proven that they can compete with veterans in the NHL as each has been helping their teams through the NHL standings.  Patrick Kane in particular has made a splash in Chicago by not only helping the Blackhawks to the top of the rankings but also making them into real Stanley Cup contenders for the first time in years.  Though, there is some question about whether these young superstars will be able to keep up on an international level.  They’re facing some tough competition, but my guess is that veterans like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury will be able to give the offense some of the leadership it needs in order to do well.

The defense is also largely made up of youngsters with Erik Johnson, Ryan Suter, and Ryan Whitney.  Though there seems to be more of a balance with players like Brian Rafalski, Michael Komisarek, and Paul Martin rounding out the lines.  Not only is it a good combination of youth and experience, but many of these players know how to shoot.  They’re going to give any offense a pretty tough game.   I’m happy to say that the USA has defensive coverage where it’s needed most: in the net.  This is the first year in a long time that the team has some great goaltenders.  Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas will be minding the net, and both have been league leaders in the NHL and make an excellent team.

Overall, the team is a bit inexperienced when it comes to offense, which may put some pressure on the defense to pick up the slack, though if the youngsters can follow the lead of those with more Olympic experience, they should do all right.  They are certainly contenders for a medal, perhaps even the gold.

And, let’s not discount the Women as they are definite medal favorites.  The women’s Team USA is sporting a much more balanced team with 12 first time Olympians, but with Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Potter, Julie Chu, and Natalie Darwitz returning there is plenty of leadership among these ladies.  Jessie Vetter is sitting in the net, who helped the USA team win gold in the 2009 Worlds.  Overall, a very strong team.

This year, the team to beat is going to be Canada for both the men and the women.  The Canadians have the best balance both with the forwards and defense, though don’t discount Russia for the men.  The forwards are packing some heat with NHL superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Evengi Malkin.

It’s going to be a great year for ice hockey.  Don’t forget to check it out when the action gets underway on February 13 for the women and February 16 for the men (schedules are below).  And visit BetUS to put down a wager as they will be offering odds throughout the competition.  Check it out before the game get started on February 12.