In what was the best-played game of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, Team Canada continued its international dominance of their rivals Team USA and won 1-0 Friday on a goal from Jamie Benn. The United States will play Finland for the bronze on Saturday, and Canada will meet Sweden in the gold medal game Sunday.
Update: the lines for Team USA’s bronze medal game against Finland and Team Canada’s gold medal game against Sweden are now up. Get in on the medal round betting action here.
[sc:NHL240 ]After averaging five goals a game in their first four matches of the tournament, the Americans were shut out by Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price in the all-important semi-final. Price made 31 saves in the win, and while he made few spectacular saves, his positioning and rebound control made it difficult for the U.S. to get much going. Jonathan Quick also had a strong game, stopping 36 shots. On Canada’s lone goal, a beautiful pass from defenseman Jay Bouwmeester that Benn tipped in, Quick had no chance.
The difference in this game may have been the defensive play of Canada’s forwards, who made things very difficult for the Americans up the middle. As Canada’s coach Mike Babcock said to the CBC, the game plan for Canada was to “get right at [Team USA],” regardless of the scheme American coach Dan Bylsma came at them with.
And go they did. Elite scorers like Jonathan Toews and Jeff Carter demonstrated how effective their skill level can be when applied to the forecheck, as they clogged up the US attack almost every time in tried to gain momentum through the neutral zone.
Only Phil Kessel was able to consistently break out through the neutral zone, and with Price and a stalwart Canadian defence waiting for him there, the tournament’s leading scorer was limited to long shots from the outside.
The loss is the second American hockey defeat to Canada in as many days, as the U.S. women’s team lost in a poorly-officiated game to the Canadian women 3-2 in overtime Thursday. So far the Olympics as a whole have echoed the American experience at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, where the men’s and women’s tournaments ended with Canada besting the USA.
It also continues a bad betting streak for U.S. President Barack Obama who lost a bet to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper worth two cases of beer.
The Americans will still play for a medal, as they move into the bronze medal game against a strong Finnish team that may be without star goaltender Tuukka Rask. Rask was held out of the line up in Finland’s semi-final game against Sweden with the flu, but could return for the match up with USA on Saturday.
Canada, in the meantime, moves on to face a potent Swedish team in Sunday’s gold medal final. Sweden defeated Finland earlier Friday 2-1. Sweden and Canada are now the only two undefeated teams in the tournament.
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