BROADWAY AFFAIR

The Penguins come out on top of the Rangers for the 5th time this season in a feisty affair courtesy of a Jordan Staal OT winner.

by Adam Bernard

The words of Pedro Martinez come to mind when the Rangers and Penguins get together. He said "The Yankees are my daddy" towards the end of his tenure with the Red Sox. Well, the Penguins are the Rangers daddy, and that was on display, yet again, at the World's Most Famous Arena last night.

Lets start with some basic numbers. Henrik Lundqvist made 50 saves...AND HE STILL LOST. Granted, Pittsburgh scored five times, but at least give the man some Kevlar if he's going to be in a shooting gallery. In the other crease, Marc-Andre Fleury only made 8 saves on 12 shots before being yanked and Brent Johnson only needed to face four shots. I just don't get how a team, whose head coach's philosophy when it comes to pushing the puck up the ice "Safe is Death" only musters 16 shots on net. It also looked like the Rangers wore down a bit at the end of the game, and Coach Tortorella won't take kindly to that. By the way, the last time the Rangers allowed that many shots in a game was against the Cancuks back in January of 1991 when Vancouver sprayed 62 shots on net.

After an exciting 1st period that was tied at 2 heading in to the intermission and some physical, chippy play early on with Sidney Crosby and Henrik Lundqivst (and if this type of game works for the Pens against the Rangers, expect it every time they meet...which probably won't be until next season). People are going to focus on Crosby's dive from a Marc Staal hit and then Henrik Lundqvist getting in Crosby's face. With Crosby, I'm already at the point with him where it's old news. He's the Tim Duncan of the NHL. Crosby schmoozes the refs and gets all the calls because he's Sidney Crosby. No use in crying over spilled milk, so get used to it. Unlike past incidents with the Rangers (see Marian Gaborik in Philadelphia), this team was quick to respond.

The Rangers finish the season series with Pittsburgh winning only once while the Penguins won five times and earned a point in the OT loss to the blueshirts. It doesn't get any easier for the Rangers who head to Washington on Saturday and host the Sabres on Sunday. We've seen the Rangers put themselves in a hole and then make a strong finish down the stretch to make the playoffs. They're lucky that the bottom half of the East is so tight that they just need to weather the storm of this portion of the schedule before they make their annual March push. For Pittsburgh, they head home for weekend games with Dallas and Boston before a stretch of eight games with seven on the road.

OTHER ACTION:
Capitals 5 - Lightning 4
Bruins 3 - Maple Leafs 2 - (SO)
Hurricanes 4 - Senators 1
Thrashers 6 - Islanders 3
Predators 4 - Kings 2
Blues 6 - Stars 1
Coyotes 3 - Avalanche 1
Sharks 3 - Canadiens 2

TODAY'S ACTION
Flyers @ Sabres - 7:30PM
Predators @ Red Wings - 7:30PM
Canucks @ Blackhawks - 8:30PM
Devils @ Flames - 9PM
Wild @ Oilers - 9PM

DESERT OUTLAWS

Wojtek Wolski joins the Phoenix Coyotes at the deadline. Photo credit: blogs.denverpost.com/avs

By Chris Carrano

The NHL trade deadline came and went yesterday and if you blinked once, you may have even missed it. Even though a record number of trades were made (31 in all), it surprisingly lacked any sizzle, as there were no blockbuster deals that took place. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have scored the biggest name out there not named Kovalchuk in acquiring Alexei Ponikarovsky but it was the Phoenix Coyotes who made out like bandits and set themselves up for a playoff run at this year’s deadline.

Phoenix acquired left winger Wojtek Wolski from the Colorado Avalanche for a pair of right wingers, Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. This was a steal for Phoenix as Mueller has been on a decline since his rookie season. He scored 22 goals in 81 games in the 2007-08 season compared to the four he’s scored this season in 54 games. The Avs hope he can recapture his scoring touch. In Kevin Porter, the Avs get Phoenix’s fifth-ranked prospect and a former Hobey Baker Award winner with Michigan.

Wolski had been very productive this season as he brings his 47 points (17 G, 30 A) to the table, immediately becoming the Coyotes leading point-getter along with Shane Doan. Colorado fans are biting their nails wondering if this move will come back to bite them. It’s surprising that they would trade a good offensive player for what they got in return as they make a run at the post-season. The surprising Avalanche sit in sixth place in the Western Conference and the Coyotes are one point above them in fifth.

The Coyotes made a few more interesting moves yesterday that could bolster their position in the standings and make them a serious contender come April. They added a pair of defensemen to their blue line by reacquiring Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins and obtaining Mathieu Schneider from Vancouver. This was the third time Morris was moved at the trade deadline and he was second in scoring amongst Bruins defensemen with three goals and 25 points. He’ll bring immediate help to the Coyotes, and with the way he moves the puck, Phoenix can generate some prime scoring chances, especially with the newly acquired Wolski. Mathieu Schnieder, who according to THN.com, is a pure power play specialist who joins an intriguing defense corps which already includes Ed Jovanovski and Keith Yandle. Phoenix didn’t lose much in this deal either, giving up two draft picks (one in 2010 and one in 2011) and Sean Zimmerman. This will be an interesting team to watch down the stretch.

The Philadelphia Flyers stayed still yesterday as they didn’t make any moves to gear up for a run at the post-season. The Broad Street Bullies would have been a trendy pick to win the Atlantic Division had they made a move for Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun. Although they trail division leader New Jersey by ten points in the standings (its only five wins), a move for Vokoun would have them in contention. Ray Emery is out with a season ending injury and Philly is stuck with NHL journeyman Michael Leighton in net. Although Leighton had a bit of a hot streak going, he lacks big game experience. When asked if they tried to get a goalie, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told ESPN.com, "A lot of teams called and were fishing around, but I wouldn't really say we really tried." The Flyers with Vokoun would have been a scary team and a team that no one would want to meet in a playoff series.

They Boston Bruins stayed relatively quiet at this year’s deadline also but they did add defenseman Dennis Seidenberg from the Florida Panthers. Seidenberg will replace Derrick Morris on the blue line and the Bruins were able to clear about $1.5 million in cap space. "We've been trying to get a scoring forward, and while there were a couple available, there wasn't a fit there," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPN.com. "Listen, it's not news to me that we're offensively challenged now, and for us to go out and do something on defense may not look like we're trying to address the problem but we felt that at the end of the day, if all we could do is improve the makeup of our defense, that would help our offense."

THATS WHAT HE SAID

“(It was) the best game I’ve ever played in” –Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers when describing the gold medal game between the USA and Canada.

Unfortunately for Mr. Callahan and New York Ranger fans, that may be the best game he plays in for a while. With the lack of goal scorers and dead weight the Rangers have had this season, its going to be a long time before Ryan can say that again.

And for those who have ever wondered about how deals go down on Deadline Day, here is a Q&A from NHL.com http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=409700&navid=DLNHLhome

AROUND THE NHL

Washington @ Buffalo Ryan Miller’s homecoming in Buffalo last night opened with a 45-second standing ovation but ended with a crushing defeat as the Capitals offensive defenseman Mike Green broke a 1-1 tie in the third period. The Caps went on to win 3-1.

Vancouver @ Detroit The Canucks 14-game road trip continued last night with a 6-3 rout of the Red Wings. Ryan Kesler scored two goals and Roberto Luongo made 28 saves in his first game back since the Olympics ended.

Philadelphia @ Florida David Booth had a four point night (1G, 3A) and Michael Frolik had two goals for the Panthers in a wild 7-4 defeat of the Flyers. Both teams combined for 66 minutes in penalties and four power play goals.

Edmonton @ Chicago The Blackhawks scored three goals in the third period to put away the lowly Oilers 5-2 last night. Chicago out shot Edmonton 47-14 and sent the Oilers to their fourth straight loss.

Minnesota @ Calgary Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom upstaged his Finnish teammate Miikka Kipprusoff by stopping 29 shots in a 4-0 shutout over the Flames.

Colorado @ Anaheim The Avalanche scored four unanswered goals in a 4-3 comeback win over the Ducks last night. Newly acquired Peter Mueller tied the game in the second period and Paul Stastny had three assists.

TONIGHT'S GAMES

Toronto @ Boston 7 pm
Ottawa @ Carolina 7 pm
Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers 7 pm
Tampa Bay @ Washington 7 pm
NY Islanders @ Atlanta 7 pm
Los Angeles @ Nashville 8 pm
St. Louis @ Dallas 8:30 pm
Colorado @ Phoenix 9 pm (Intriguing game of the night)
Montreal @ San Jose 10:3o pm

Thanks, but maybe No Thanks

photo credit: Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

I’m worried about Ryan Miller. His heartbreak over Sunday’s gold medal loss to Canada is real and it’s deep. And it might not go away anytime soon if last night’s reception in Pittsburgh starts a trend.

Penguin fans gave Miller a loud, long standing ovation during pregame introductions. The cheers were louder than those bestowed on their own Sidney Crosby. The affection will continue for sure tonight when the Sabres return to Buffalo, and probably as Miller makes stops around the league over the next two weeks or so. The love is warranted and respectful, but it only forces Miller to remember.

You’ve seen the images by now. Miller dragging himself away from the net in utter disbelief after Crosby scored. All we then saw were hollow stares from him as he waited to receive his silver medal. At some point, Miller will appreciate the Vancouver Games for what they were – an amazing personal performance and a significant team achievement. But not right now. Miller seemed awfully uncomfortable accepting the ovation last night.

And that’s bad news for a Sabres team in a dogfight with Ottawa for the Northeast division. The loser seems headed to a first round series, as the 5^th seed, against Pittsburgh or New Jersey, so winning the division and home ice is pretty important.

Last night’s 3-2 loss at the Igloo was the Sabres’ seventh defeat in eight games, with the Capitals and Flyers coming to Buffalo this week, followed by six of eight on the road. Patrick Lalime’s 3.20 GAA and .895 save percentage mean Miller must play almost all of the Sabres’ remaining 21 games.

He may go on a mission to right the Olympic wrong. But he also might struggle to overcome the disappointment, especially if it keeps coming up. Fingers crossed, Sabres fans

TUESDAY’S OTHER SCORES (home teams in CAPS)

Devils 4 – SHARKS 3

PREDATORS 4 – Oilers 3

Flyers 7 – LIGHTNING 2…1 goal and 3 assists for Mike Richards

Rangers 4 – SENATORS 1

HURRICANES 5 – Maple Leafs 1

Canucks 4 – BLUE JACKETS 3 OT…Christian Ehrhoff scored game-winner

ISLANDERS 5 – Blackhawks 3…a hat trick for Blake Comeau

Canadiens 4 – BRUINS 1

THRASHERS 4 – Panthers 2

Blues 5 – COYOTES 2

Kings 5 – STARS 1

The countdown continues to today’s 3pm ET trade deadline. The Penguins bolstered their supporting cast last night by acquiring winger Alexei Ponikarovsky from the Maple Leafs for defenseman Martin Skoula and minor league forward Luca Caputi. Ponikarovsky brings with him 19 goals and 22 assists in 61 games. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Senators added a veteran defensive presence yesterday in Andy Sutton. He came over from the Islanders for a second round pick this summer.

Montreal and St. Louis have swapped forwards, with Matt D’Agostini becoming a Blue and Aaron Palushaj joining the Canadiens.

The Flyers, meanwhile, said to be on the hunt for a goaltender because of season-ending hip surgery for Ray Emery. Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson, both of the Islanders, are apparently their main targets. Emery is dealing with avascular necrosis in his right hip – that’s a chronic condition caused by a lack of blood supply to the bones in the joint.

In Minnesota, veteran blue-liner Marek Zidlicky has signed a three-year, $12 million extension.

And the Thrashers have given Chris Chelios a two-way contract. The 48-year-old defenseman was already playing with Atlanta’s AHL affiliate in Chicago, but is now official organization property. GM Don Waddell says the current plan is for Chelios to stay with the Wolves, and only join the big club if as an injury-replacement.

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times are Eastern)

Capitals @ Sabres 7:00 (Versus)

Canucks @ Red Wings 7:30 (NHL Network)

Flyers @ Panthers 7:30

Oilers @ Blackhawks 8:30

Wild @ Flames 10:00

Avalanche @ Ducks 10:00

- Andrew Bogusch (boguschhockey@gmail.com)

Before We Leave Vancouver...

photo credit: Getty Images / USA Hockey

Before we return to full-time NHL action, let’s spend a few more minutes in Vancouver…Thank You note style. Because there is much gratitude to pass out after what we saw over the last two weeks at the Olympics.

Thank you, first and foremost, to the 42 players that took the ice Sunday at Canada Hockey Place. Was it the greatest hockey game ever contested? No, but it’s on the short list. There was passion. There was meanness and maybe some actual hate. There was a last-second, goalie-pulled, game-tying goal. And there was the game’s biggest name scoring the game-winner in overtime.

Thank you, in particular, Ryan Miller. Not just because you were phenomenal between the pipes, but because you were so crushed after Crosby scored. The images of your utter despair should quiet the idiots who were calling these Games a glorified all-star game.

Thank you, begrudgingly, to Sidney Crosby. First, for being fairly invisible through 3+ periods, which aided the US’s comeback from that 2-0 hole. And more importantly, for being the hero. The biggest names don’t always score the biggest goal or get the biggest hit. Patrice Bergeron or Ryan Callahan netting the deciding goal just wouldn’t have been the same.

Thank you, Team USA general manager Brian Burke. You could not have built a better team for this tournament. Looking back now, tell me who shouldn’t have been on this squad. Who should’ve taken his place? Even Chris Drury, whom we questioned in this space, delivered.

Thank you, Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, and Jack Johnson for demonstrating that the talent gap between US and Canadian hockey is almost non-existent. The host nation roster was scary good when it was first announced late last year, with Burke’s version appearing to fall well short of it. But these four in particular flashed top-end talent over and over again in Vancouver. Parise was rabid in the gold medal game, while Kane controlled the puck better than anyone on either side. And this is really the key lesson from this tournament: Canada picked up another gold medal, but its North American prominence is under attack.

Thank you, Russia, for not showing up against Canada in the quarterfinals. Yes, your abysmal effort robbed us of a possible classic. But had you not wet yourself, we might have been deprived of Sunday’s all-timer.

Thank you, Pavol Demitra, for similar reasons. Had you not hit the post in the final seconds of your semifinal with Canada, your country might have pulled off the upset in OT.

And thank you, in advance, Gary Bettman. While we don’t have the most confidence in you when it comes to major decisions, even you are smart enough to know now that NHL players must go to Sochi, Russia in four years. Sure, the time difference will complicate things. And duplicating Sunday’s drama is near-impossible. But let’s give it a shot.

* * *

The NHL season resumed last night with the Red Wings and Avalanche in Denver. Detroit left town victorious after a 3-2 final. Niklas Lidstrom netted the game-winner on the power play 10:57 into the third period. Tomas Holmstrom scored once and had two assists.

NHL general managers got back to business yesterday as well with the trade deadline looming tomorrow afternoon. The Penguins acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from the Panthers for a 2^nd Round pick this summer. Nashville added blueliner Denis Grebeshkov from Edmonton for a 2^nd-rounder as well.

The Flames, meanwhile, gave center Matt Stajan a four-year, $3.5 million-dollar extension. Stajan was acquired before the Olympics in the Dion Phaneuf trade with Toronto.

TUESDAY SCHEDULE (all times are Eastern)

Montreal @ Boston 7:00

Carolina @ Toronto 7:00

Chicago @ Islanders 7:00

Florida @ Atlanta 7:00

Vancouver @ Columbus 7:00

Rangers @ Ottawa 7:30

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh 7:30

Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay 7:30 (Versus)

Edmonton @ Nashville 8:00

Los Angeles @ Dallas 8:30

St. Louis @ Phoenix 9:00

New Jersey @ San Jose 10:30 (Versus)

- Andrew Bogusch (boguschhockey@gmail.com)

EVERYTHING IS EH-OK IN CANADA

Canada defeats the United States 3-2 in overtime to win the Gold Medal (Saeed Khan/ AFP-Getty Images)

By Chris Carrano

In the time it takes to flick your wrist, Canada’s own Sidney Crosby went from being “Sid the Kid” to “Sid the Golden Boy.” With a flick of his wrist, Crosby scored the gold-medal winning goal, just 7:40 into overtime to set off a massive celebration and a collective sigh of relief throughout the Great White North. It was sweet revenge for the host country, which a week ago lost to the Americans 5-3, and left many Canadians scratching their heads.

Those same Canadians were scratching their heads again as it looked like their team was on its way to an epic collapse. Trailing 2-1 with 1:30 left in regulation, Team USA pulled goalie Ryan Miller in favor of an extra attacker. A little over a minute later, Patrick Kane took a shot from the right circle that deflected off of Jamie Langenbrunner’s skate and right to Zach Parise. Parise, who makes his living by camping out in front of the goal, put the puck past Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo for the game tying score. A wild celebration erupted on the American bench as it appeared they had all of the momentum going into overtime.

"We showed a lot of heart; scoring that goal with 20 seconds to go to force overtime," said Team USA captain Jamie Langenbrunner. "We really believed this was going to happen for us, but great players do great things and that is what happened."

Canada had a few chances to increase their lead before Parise’s goal. Eric Staal was stoned on a breakaway attempt when Ryan Miller made a spectacular save. Sidney Crosby also had a chance to put the American’s away on a breakaway chance, but Patrick Kane backchecked incredibly hard and got there just in time to thwart Crosby's deke before he was going to shoot on Miller. (NHL.com)

Crosby’s dagger came in overtime when while playing the puck along the boards; he poked the puck away from USA defenseman Brian Rafalski to teammate Jerome Iginla. As Crosby charged toward the net, Iginla dished him a perfect pass that Crosby wrist-shot under Miller’s legs for the game winner. “I barely remember what happened on the play,” said Crosby. “I just threw it at the net and then our guys were jumping on me. It was everything and more than I could imagine.”

It was a nice run for the young Team USA, a team that many people thought would be overmatched in this tournament. "It's just a shame that both teams couldn't have received a gold medal today. Sometimes, the best team in the tournament doesn't win a gold medal. I thought our team played as well as any team I have ever coached."

Ryan Miller stopped 36 shots this afternoon and played brilliantly throughout the Olympics, leading Team USA to a 5-1 record and recording two shutouts (he didn’t surrender a goal against Finland). Miller was named the MVP of the Olympic tournament and Brian Rafalski was named best defenseman.

Information and quotes from NHL.com was used in this article.

Slapshots…As much as it pains me to write about a Canadian victory over Team USA, I have to admit that this was one of the best hockey games I’ve seen. (Well I was working so I managed to see some of it, like Kesler and Parise’s goals and catch the highlights.) What was even more amazing is how people who don’t really watch hockey, watched this game. People were packed into bars as if it was the NFL playoffs. This was an epic contest that had all the ingredients of a great game: star power, close game, highlight reel goals, amazing saves and overtime suspense. If you don’t like hockey after seeing this game, chances are you probably never will. It was nice to read everyone’s FaceBook statuses and see everyone coming together to root for the USA. With that said, I have a message for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL team owners: you must, absolutely must, continue to allow NHL players to play in future Olympic tournaments. A tournament of this magnitude, on this kind of stage, blows away any hype that an All-Star game can generate. Because of what transpired at Canada Hockey Place over the last two weeks (and today), many more casual fans will be tuning in to the NHL as the season winds down and continues into the playoffs. This game today was a gift to you Mr. Bettman. Use it wisely… Ryan Miller had a smile on his face as he walked in with the other American athletes during the closing ceremonies. He deserves the tournament MVP and along with his USA team mates, should hold their heads high and be proud of what they accomplished. In a way, maybe its better that Canada won. If they had lost, there would probably be rioting and fires all over Vancouver, just like in 1994!

As Vancouver closes out the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Adam Bernard provides a parting thought on each of the Olympic hockey teams as we close the 2010 games in Vancouver...

Latvia - A tough team that pushed the Czech's to the limit in the playoff round. Look for them to be the Switzerland of the 2014 games

Germany - Proving the theory that just because you have multiple NHL'ers on your squad, that won't necessarily equate to success (Germany plays hard-nosed hockey but came away without even a win for the Deutschland)

Norway - Played hard in their first Olympics since their automatic birth for being the host country in 1994 in Lillehammer. There's a lot of playoff teams that could use a finisher like Norwegian forward Paul Vikingstad (which begs the question, is the last name "Vikingstad" the American equivalent of "Smith" in Norway?).

Belarus - A very impressive performance by a team with only two NHL players. G Andrei Mezin played well between the pipes and the Belarusians should be just as competitive next time around.

Switzerland - This team will be a fixture in Olympic hockey for years to come. They play their system-style very well, played the gold medal participants tough in all meetings, and have a young goalie that can backstop their next three Olympics in Jonas Hiller.

Czech Republic - This team could be in a transitional phase in the 2014 games. Expect a lot of overhauling on the Czech team. They did play tough in every game in Vancouver, but they are heading in the wrong direction from the 1998 gold medal win.

Russia - My pick to win the gold in the 2014 games in Sochi. No member of Russia is happy with the way they exited the tournament and have a chance to redeem themselves on home soil. More of a defensive-minded blueline would help a team that has more than enough offense up front.

Sweden - The 2006 gold medalists cruised through their first three games but ran in to a momentum-laden Slovakian team that was clicking on all cylinders. They will return in 2014 as a medal favorite.

Slovakia - A dark horse team that displayed why they need to be talked about as one of the top hockey countries in the world. Gaborik, Hossa and Halak are three great cornerstones to build around in four years.

Finland - This team should consider themselves lucky to medal after poor performances against Sweden, a tight one against the Czechs, and an embarrassing loss to the US. They showed resolve in their comeback Bronze Medal win against Slovakia. Even though their losing top players Teemu Selanne (the all-time Olympic leading scorer), OlIi Jokinen, and Saku Koivu - Finland always finds a way to be in the hunt for a medal.

USA - If you asked any true USA hockey fan that they would win the silver in these Olympics, they might have thought you were a little crazy. The United States did USA Hockey proud and have taken a big step in the right direction. This is a young team that accomplished a lot, have nothing to hang their heads about, and can expect to play in more games like they did today.

Canada - No team has ever played under the pressure and scrutiny that Team Canada's hockey team did in these Olympics (see Team Russia in 2014). After a minor goaltending controversy, Roberto Luongo finished the Olympics undefeated as we saw a changing of the guard in goalie for Canada. Sidney Crosby is the youngest captain in Stanley Cup history to win the Cup and now has a gold medal, something Wayne Gretzky doesn't (as a player, at least). Crosby is truly "The Next One" and the face of Canadian hockey. Instead of giving in to turmoil, Canada bounced back and showed once again why they are the best hockey country in the world.

A full recap of today's Canada 3-2 overtime gold medal victory over the United States from Chris Carrano coming tonight. FTS continues it's NHL coverage tomorrow.

SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY

The Revenge Factor

The Canadians want revenge from a week ago...

For Team USA, they'd like to pay back Canada for winning gold on their soil in 2002

By Adam Bernard

Any hockey player will tell you the holy grail is the Stanley Cup. To have your name engraved on that trophy is the pinnacle of any hockey player's career. It's one of the toughest championships to win in sports and many players go their entire careers without even having the chance to play for it. What's at stake today is a prize of a different color. Unlike the 36lb silver chalice, this is a piece of gold that you wear around your neck and only get the chance to win once every four years (sounds like the prize of a tournament held in Brooklyn). The chance to hear your nation's anthem as the victory song only comes around once every four years, and most players will never know the feeling of one Olympic game. What's at stake today is also about pride, and little brother has a legitimate chance to beat the bigger brother today.

Drastically different paths were taken by Team USA and Team Canada to make the final game. For the Americans, they have yet to lose a game in these Olympics and have had the easiest road of any team. Two earned victories against Switzerland, a late surge against a meager Norway team, a victory over a lackadaisical effort from these Canadians, and an absolute trouncing of Team Finland. Pierre Maguire said it best on the NBC telecast when he said he's never seen a team give up the way Team Finland did against the United States. Veteran netminder Miika Kiprusoff made a pee-wee mistake early in the Olympic Semifinals, and it was all downhill from there. Six United States goals scored in the first half of the 1st period. Defensive breakdowns by Finland were aplenty, and a sloppy start played right in to the hands of the United States' "attack early and often" strategy. The US is getting the right production from many places. Brian Rafalski was potent from the blueline and Zach Parise carried this team offensively early in the tournament. Patrick Kane finally broke out when it mattered. Brooks Orpik and Tim Gleason (Gleason was a late addition to Team USA) are making teams pay for trying to get past the blueline. Ryan Kesler's two way play has been phenomenal. And most importantly, Ryan Miller is making all the big saves at the right time. Team USA is playing hard, efficient, and smart, and you can thank head coach Ron Wilson for that.

The team that hails from the host country had a speed bump-laden road to the gold medal match. After an expected whooping of Norway, they had to go to a shootout to beat the tough Swiss. After a poor performance to these Americans, Canada beat Germany soundly and sent a message to the hockey world that they could play to high expectations with an embarrassment of the 2nd best team in the world (on paper, that is) in Russia. After all of that, they still had to survive a comeback effort from a Slovakian team that made Canada earn their birth to today's game. You can argue both teams took the exact path they needed to do to be mentally ready for 3PM Eastern today.

Here's the tale of the tape:

-GOALTENDING: The backbone of the US success is Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. If the US wanted a chance at gold, he had to be stellar, and he's met the challenge. He's kept Team USA in every game and is showing the world why he should win the Vezina if Buffalo wins their division (which is likely). Nothing more can be asked of Miller. As for Canada, goaltending was one of the major issues for the team in this tournament. After Canucks G Roberto Luongo was given a gift-start in front of his home fans against Norway to open the tournament (a shutout performance, by the way), Red Wings coach Mike Babock went to all-time wins and shutout king Martin Brodeur. After a tough game against Team Switzerland and a weak performance against the United States, Babcock went back to Luongo. The results have been a shutout against the worst team in the tournament, a win against Russia where he never had to worry, and a good test against Slovakia. While Luongo has been efficient, his reputation to choke in big games is prevalent. This is easily the biggest game he's played in yet for his career.
**EDGE USA

-DEFENSEMEN: Team Canada has one of the best grouping of defenseman (Pronger-Niedermayer, Seabrook-Keith, Weber-Boyle with Doughty being paired with whoever) ever assembled. However, the blue collar USA group (Suter-Rafalski, Jack Johnson-Erik Johnson, Orpik-Gleason with Whitney being paired with whoever) has performed very strong since the Norway game. The US group loves to be physical while the Canadians can be potent from the blueline.
**SLIGHT EDGE CANADA

-FORWARDS: Both clubs are getting great efforts from the right players. Some have taken longer to jump start than others (see Patrick Kane for USA, Ryan Getzlaf for Team Canada), while others have been consistent throughout the tournament (see Sidney Crosby for Canada, Zach Parise for USA). The bottom line is Canada's group of forwards is better than Team USA's, but Team USA has the right line combinations that balance both chemistry and defensive matching ability.
**EDGE CANADA - BUT THE US HAS PROVEN THEY CAN CONTAIN THIS GROUP BEFORE

-COACHING: Mike Babcock has coached many a big game as the Red Wings and Ducks head coach. He's in uncharted waters as the head coach in a world tournament. Ron Wilson doesn't have an Olympic gold under his belt, but he did beat Canada on their soil in 1996 for the World Cup. Babcock knows how to handle big games, but Ron Wilson knows how to handle big games AND has the type of roster he can coach best.
**EDGE TEAM USA

PREDICTION - I picked USA to win gold before the Olympics started, why change now. I'm going to say USA wins 4-2 with the 4th goal being an empty-netter.

This will be quite the hockey game and will be entertaining to watch whether you're a hockey/sports fan or not. A win for Team Canada and they managed to survive the heavy burden of pressure placed on them to win on home turf. A loss and the resurgence was all for nothing. A win for Team USA and it's the country's first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid in 1980. A loss, and it would be a reminder who the big brother is in this relationship and a finish that would resemble Salt Lake City 2002 in a very bad way. 3PM and your local NBC affiliate is all you need tomorrow afternoon.

BRONZE MEDAL GAME

FINLAND 4 - SLOVAKIA 3

Saku Koviu, Teemu Selanne, Jarkko Ruutu and Mikko Koivu celebrate their Bronze Medal Victory

Slovakia won and lost this game within the same game. The Slovaks carried a 3-1 lead in to the 3rd period thanks to goals from their three big stars (Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, and a shorthanded tally from Pavol Demitra). They looked comfortable with this lead, played comfortable, and that opened the window for Olli Jokinen (who scored two goals and said this will be his last Olympics) and Team Finland to fight back. The Finns played with the fire they lacked against the United States and scored four 3rd period goals to medal for the 4th time in 5 Olympics. Slovakia was denied the opportunity to medal for the first time.

"If someone would tell us before the tournament that we're going to win the bronze medal, I would say we would take it right away .Obviously gold was our dream but we had no tools to be in the final. I think the two best teams are in the final and hopefully the better team wins tomorrow." said Finland's Teemu Selanne, who leaves the Games as the Olympics all-time leading scorer.

While Slovakia were crushed that they would not be returning home with a medal, the fourth place finish goes into the record books as the country's best ever Olympic result. "We wanted a medal so badly," said Marian Hossa. "It's just a tough pill to swallow right now because we were in such a great position coming into the third and we got into penalty trouble. But I think we can be proud of our guys. We did a lot of good things but it's not what we wanted to finish fourth."

Three members of the Finnish team, Jere Lehtinen, Ville Peltonen, Saku Koivu all received their fourth Olympic medals doubling the membership of an exclusive hockey club that includes the Czech Republic's (formerly Czechoslovakia) Jiri Holik, Soviet Union's Vladislav Tretyak and Russia's Igor Kravchuk.

Some of the information and the photo used in this report is courtesy of Reuters.