Olympic Ice Hockey

Canada's men will vie for their third straight gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games without superstar assistance.

For the first time since 1994, active NHL players will not participate in the Winter Olympics. No longer led by Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and Carey Price, Canada has forfeited its customary status as the heavy favorite. 

The country has nevertheless composed an experienced roster of professionals, many of whom have logged NHL reps. While he's no Crosby, 37-year-old captain Chris Kelly tallied 188 points over 13 NHL seasons and won the 2011 Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins.

Courtesy of Team Canada's official site and Twitter account, respectively, let's look at the squad's roster and uniform before its Olympic run begins against Switzerland. 

                

Team Canada Men's Hockey Roster/Uniform

Goaltenders

Kevin Poulin, Medvescak Zagreb (EBEL)

Justin Peters, Kolner Haie (DEL)

Ben Scrivens, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

               

Forwards

Rene Bourque, Djurgardens IF (SHL)

Gilbert Brule, Kunlun Red Star (KHL)

Andrew Ebbett, SC Bern (NLA)

Quinton Howden, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)

Chris Kelly, Belleville Senators (AHL)

Rob Klinkhammer, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)

Brandon Kozun, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Maxim Lapierre, HC Lugano (NLA)

Eric O'Dell, HK Sochi (KHL)

Mason Raymond, SC Bern (NLA)

Derek Roy, Linkoping HC (SHL)

Christian Thomas, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)

Linden Vey, ZSC Lions (NLA)

Wojtek Wolski, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)

                    

Defensemen

Stefan Elliott, HV71 (SHL)

Chay Genoway, Lada Togliatti (KHL)

Cody Goloubef, Stockton Heat (AHL)

Marc-Andre Gragnani, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)

Chris Lee, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)

Maxim Noreau, SC Bern (NLA)

Mat Robinson, CSKA Moscow (KHL)

Karl Stollery, Dinamo Riga (KHL)

              

It's here! #TeamCanada's hockey teams will be wearing this jersey in #PyeongChang2018. 🇨🇦🏒 pic.twitter.com/EfmUacQnYP

— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) November 1, 2017

          

Olympic Preview

NHL fans will still know plenty of Team Canada's representatives. Perhaps the most notable of the bunch is Derek Roy, who registered 189 goals and 355 assists over 11 seasons. 

While the 34-year-old center is a decade removed from 2007-08's 81-point campaign with the Buffalo Sabres, he has stayed spry, with 33 points and a plus-19 net rating in 39 Swedish Hockey League games.

Rene Bourque, who scored 27 goals for the Calgary Flames in both 2009-10 and 2010-11, joins Kelly and Roy to form a veteran nucleus. The owner of one goal in 27 NHL games scattered across four seasons, Christian Thomas is Canada's youngest participant at age 25.

Canada also has plenty of seasoned players to shield the net. Goaltenders Justin Peters, Kevin Poulin and Ben Scrivens all have NHL experience, albeit as reserves. Scrivens notched a .905 save percentage in 144 career games, including a then-record 59-save shutout for the Edmonton Oilers four years ago.

"It's unbelievable," Goloubef told Feschuk of his Olympic opportunity. "It's a place I don't think many of us thought we'd ever be."

A sage group of scorers and athletic defenders should at least reserve Canada a spot at the podium. Without its elite crop of NHL headliners, it may instead settle for silver or bronze behind the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

              

Statistics obtained from hockeydb.com.

The favorites had no trouble in women's hockey competition Monday, with Switzerland and Sweden each pulling off easy victories in pool play. 

Switzerland scored the first three goals of its 3-1 triumph over Japan, while Sweden unleashed an 8-0 onslaught on hosts Korea. 

Here is a look at how both matchups played out.

Switzerland 3, Japan 1

Sara Benz scored two second-period goals and Alina Muller added another in the third period, leading Switzerland to a 3-1 win over Japan.

The Swiss were also led by goaltender Florence Schelling, who allowed just one goal despite 38 shot attempts from Japan. The Japanese attack was highly aggressive throughout playing for their tournament lives and put up 20 shots in a four-minute span after pulling their goalie late in the third period.

Schelling was undeterred, making a series of saves, some easy against hapless shots and others far more difficult.

Japan's loss assures it will not advance to the quarterfinals. Only the top two teams in each pool advance, and the Japanese have lost each of their first two matches.

Switzerland, which defeated Korea in its opening match, will advance. The Swiss will next play Sweden in a matchup that will determine the winner of Group B.

Sweden 8, Korea 0

For the second time in as many games, the Korean crowd had to watch on as their women's hockey team quickly dug itself an unrecoverable hole.

Sweden scored four first-period goals and never looked back, earning an 8-0 win over the hosts Monday.

The Koreans have been outscored 16-0 through their first two games and will look to avoid going scoreless for the entirety of their Olympic experience in their final Group B matchup with Japan.

Pernilla Winberg scored two goals and added an assist for Sweden, which moved to 2-0 in group play. Elin Lundberg added a goal and two assists as one of 12 different Swedish women who had at least one point in the blowout. Seven different women scored a goal.

Sara Grahn stopped all 19 Korean shots sent her way. 

Sweden will advance to the quarterfinals but will have its seeding determined by a group finale game against Switzerland.

The NHL opted out of sending its players to the Olympics, and that means the overall quality of the hockey in the Pyeongchang Games is not going to be up to the level of the hockey played in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, or 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

But there's still bound to be excitement, drama and a chance for new heroes to emerge. The U.S. team is largely made up of athletes playing in European professional leagues, collegiate players and minor leaguers.

“I don’t think a lot of African-Americans play hockey at a high level,” said Boston University hockey player Jordan Greenway. “I’m just trying to get more and more of those kids to try and go out and do something different.” #Pyeongchang2018 https://t.co/f7XK7e59Vr

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) February 10, 2018

One of those players is 20-year-old Jordan Greenway, a 6'6", 227-pound forward from Boston University. He will be the first African American to play for the U.S. Olympic hockey team.

"I'm the first African American to play hockey for the United States at the Olympics, but hopefully I'm the first of many," Greenway said, per Maria Perez of Newsweek. "Hopefully these kids go out, try something different, play hockey, and hopefully I see a lot more playing in the near future."

In addition to the social significance of Greenway's presence, he brings size, strength, power and the ability to play a physical game. He has scored 22 goals and recorded 52 assists during his college career with the Terriers.

Here's a look at the full U.S. roster. As for what the players will wear on the ice, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press shared an image of Team USA's jerseys for the Olympics:

U.S. Olympic hockey jerseys: pic.twitter.com/sjMXE7zcPe

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) November 1, 2017

The most accomplished player on the roster is forward Brian Gionta, who played 15 seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

Gionta is known for his speed and quickness. The 5'7", 179-pound right wing has the ability find open spaces on the ice and get rid of his shot quickly. As a result, Gionta can score and set up his teammates. He should serve as one of the team leaders.

The tournament is likely to be wide open. The Olympic Athletes from Russia have the most accomplished players, but they are not guaranteed to win.

.@usahockey's Ryan Zapolski isn't a household name. Yet. https://t.co/qdaiuIL5BD

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2018

Bruins prospect Ryan Donato is one of four college hockey players who will represent the USA in South Korea.

📝Read more as Donato shifts his focus to the Olympics: https://t.co/6kLBcxUTmk

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 6, 2018

United States coach Tony Granato believes the talented Russians still have to come together and play well as a team.

"This Olympics is wide open for a lot of reasons," Granato said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (h/t Baltimore Sun). He elaborated:

"Russia's got the most talented players in the world. They're going to have the team that steps on the ice with the most talented players. Does that make them the best team for two weeks? No. We all know that. We all know how sports works. All you're looking for is an opportunity to make the most and be the best that you can be for that period of time."

             

Predictions

The United States will play hard and show plenty of emotion throughout the tournament, but this does not appear to be a year in which the Americans will bring home a medal.

Instead, Sweden looks like a gold medal-winning team, Canada has the inside track on the silver and the Olympic Athletes from Russia will take the bronze.

It would take several key breaks, and that means a couple of excellent bounces of the puck, for the United States to hit the medal stand.

The United States and Canada are on a collision course for their Group A meeting Wednesday.

Before the pair of women's hockey powerhouses can focus on their meeting at the conclusion of pool play, they must take care of business Tuesday.

Both teams are 1-0 in Group A following victories Sunday. The United States defeated Finland 3-1, while Canada dispatched the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0.

The gold-medal favorites flip opponents for Tuesday's slate, with Canada and Finland kicking off the final day of women's-only action in ice hockey.

              

Tuesday Hockey Schedule

All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com.

Women's Group A: Canada vs. Finland (2:40 a.m. ET)

Women's Group A: United States vs. Olympic Athletes from Russia (7:10 a.m. ET) 

Women's Group B: Sweden vs. Switzerland (10:10 p.m. ET) (Match being played Wednesday morning local time)

               

Americans Attempting to Continue Strong Offensive Performance

The U.S. won by two goals in its opener by putting together a flurry of attacking chances against Finland. 

Monique Lamoureux, Kendall Coyne and Dani Cameranesi scored a goal each as the States fired off 42 shots.

Coyne explained the attacking strategy against Finland goalie Noora Raty, per Cat Hendrick of Team USA: "I mean, the objective is to score more goals than them and I think the way to do it is putting pucks on the net. Especially against a phenomenal goaltender like Noora is."

If the U.S. puts up the same number of shots against the Olympic Athletes from Russia, the margin of victory could be much larger since the Russians don't possess a strong defense like Finland.

Expect the scoring opportunities to come from a variety of players, as the U.S. possesses goal-scoring threats at every position.

The three scorers in the opener combined for 16 shots, while defender Emily Pfalzer chipped in with four shots of her own.

In total, 18 Americans took at least one shot in the victory over Finland, with Sidney Morin and Haley Skarupa being the only non-goalies to have a zero in the shots column.

If similar numbers are recorded Tuesday, the United States should cruise to a blowout victory.

             

Canada Looking to Break Down Stingy Finnish Defense

Canada is expected to run into the same issues the United States did against Finland.

The defending Olympic champion has the difficult task of breaking down the Finnish defense led by Raty and blueliner Jenni Hiirikoski.

Canada will most likely follow the same strategy as the U.S. as it looks to break down the Finns by creating numerous scoring opportunities.

In their victory over the Olympic Athletes from Russia, the Canadians totaled 48 shots, with Natalie Spooner leading the charge with seven attempts.

The Canadians didn't score until the second period, but they achieved their goal of setting the tone for the tournament, as Meghan Agosta pointed out, per Rob Longley of the National Post.

"It was a great start for us," Agosta said. "We didn't get frustrated at all, and in the second period we just ended up burying the chances. It was just setting the tone in general as a team."

The continuation of Sunday's performance is key for Canada with the gold-medal preview against the United States ahead.

Although Finland is a formidable opponent, the Canadians should overwhelm their Group A foe to make Wednesday's clash with the United States a tussle for first place.

               

Sweden, Switzerland Battling for Group B Supremacy

Sweden and Switzerland both have their eyes on first place in Group B, as an easier quarterfinal matchup awaits the winner of Tuesday night's showdown.

In the peculiar format of the women's Olympic ice hockey tournament, the Group B winner faces the fourth-placed team from Group A in the quarterfinals, while the Group B runner-up squares off against Group A's third-placed team.

The winners of those games advance to showdowns with the top two from Group A, who earn byes into the semifinal round.

Given how the results have fallen in Group A, the Group B winner should avoid Finland in the quarterfinals and face a more manageable game against the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

Sweden and Switzerland are evenly matched on paper, and the final result could come down to which star forward scores the most.

The Swiss are led by forwards Alina Muller and Lara Stadler, while Pernilla Winberg is one of Sweden's many goal-scoring threats.

Group B's best game shouldn't be a shootout given the skill on both defenses, which means the small margins created by the scorers will be an important difference.

                        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

The United States women's hockey team will continue its push for a gold medal on Tuesday morning against the Olympic Athletes from Russia in Group A play.

Below, you'll find the viewing schedule, medal odds and a preview of the game. 

          

When: Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:10 a.m. ET

Watch: NBCSN

Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Odds to Win Gold: United States (-120); Olympic Athletes of Russia (+1800), according to OddsShark.com.

                  

Preview

The United States and the Olympic Athletes of Russia couldn't have had much different starts to the Pyeongchang Games.

While the United States overcame an early deficit—and the splendid goalkeeping of Noora Raty—to beat Finland, 3-1, the Russians were rocked by Canada, 5-0. 

Neither result is a major surprise, as the Americans and Canadians are the favorites in the tournament. For the OAR, meanwhile, they have the unlucky distinction of being the No. 4-ranked team in the world, which meant they ended up in the stacked Group A, which is comprised of the top four teams.

Because Canada and the United States have been so dominant, the tournament format was changed before the last Olympics to put the top four teams in a group together. The top two finishers in that group still get a bye until the semifinals once the knockout phase of the tournament begins, with the third-place finisher in the group facing the the No. 2 team from Group B and the No. 4 team from Group A facing the top finisher in Group B.

Essentially, Russia's goal is to finish third in this group. Upsetting a team of the United States' quality would be considered a monumental upset. 

But anything can happen when they drop the puck. Slowing down the United States' dangerous attack will be no easy feat for a Russian side that just gave up five goals, 48 shots and seven power plays to Canada, but much like Finland did to the United States, Russia managed to keep Canada scoreless through one.

That was in large part due to Nadezhda Morozova putting on a solid display in net, stopping all 15 shots she faced in the first frame. The problem was that Morozova couldn't survive Canada's onslaught in the second period, a fear going into the contest against the United States after they responded to Finland's strong first period.

For the United States, meanwhile, maintaining pressure and putting the puck on net will be key in this tournament.

"We can score pretty goals, but we're not afraid to get in the mix of it and get some ugly ones if we need to," Monique Lamoureux-Morando said following the Finland win, per Wayne Drehs of ESPN.com. "That's how we're going to have to score a lot of goals in these Olympics."

Head coach Robb Stauber concurred.

"The one thing I thought we could do was get more pucks to the net," he said. "We're going to be tough to beat if we get pucks to the net and hunt down pucks and rebounds."

Russia's best chance, then, may be to return the United States' aggression with some of their own. Canada took the game to them and the Russians paid the price, and the United States will look to dominate possession and keep Morozova under constant pressure as well. 

She responded well for a period, but at some point the United States will crack her code. If the Russians allow as many shots and power-play opportunities to the Americans as they did against Canada, they'll be in for another tough result.

Canada's women won their opening match of the 2018 Winter Olympics ice hockey and moved to the top of Group A after beating the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0 on Sunday. 

Rebecca Johnston and Melodie Daoust each scored twice for Canada as the Russian athletes fell woefully short in their 2018 Olympics opener, which resulted in them crashing to the bottom of their qualifying group.

Canadian goalkeeper Ann-Renee Desbiens was rarely tested in between the posts as Canada illustrated their contention as one of the leading favourites for the gold medal in this event.

The United States earlier beat Finland 3-1 to take the early advantage in Group A, but they'll have the opportunity to climb again when they meet the Russian athletes on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the updated 2018 Winter Olympics medal table after Sunday's hockey results:

          

One might not have thought Canada would finish so far clear of their opponents after the two teams saw out a goalless first period at Gangneung Hockey Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

But it appeared some stern words from head coach Laura Schuler might have taken root with the players, and Johnston fired in a crucial opener just minutes after the second period tipped off to ease the pressure.

The shackles began to fall off from there, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia were pegged back further when Haley Irwin diverted home on the power play following a driven attempt from Johnston, via CBC:

Haley Irwin tips in a slapper from Rebecca Johnston on the power play. Canada up by 2. @RBC pic.twitter.com/B02EWVLGaQ

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 11, 2018

Marie-Philip Poulin and Meghan Agosta both played a hand in setting up Canada's third, Daoust scoring her third under easy circumstances:

Mélodie Daoust capitalizes on "perfectly timed pass" from Meghan Agosta. 3-0 Canada @RBC pic.twitter.com/mjV22SqmfE

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 11, 2018

Three Russians were sent for a two-minute sin bin for infringements across the second period, while Johnston was the only Canadian penalised for an infringement, although the athletes from Russia couldn't capitalise.

That trend continued in the third period, where the Russian served four penalties compared to Canada's one after Sarah Nurse was pulled up for a trip as her side led 3-0.

Johnston netted the goal of the game, again Canada scoring while the Russians had a player off the ice, and sports writer Donna Spencer was suitably in awe of her narrow finish from close range:

Rebecca Johnston scores second of the game for @HC_Women. Sharp-angled shot on a 5-on-3. Canada up 4-0 on Russian team.

— Donna Spencer (@DLSpencer10) February 11, 2018

Canada already looked to be en route to the top of Group A with a 4-0 win, but Daoust's second of the match, assisted by Poulin, made sure of a comprehensive result in their Pyeongchang debut.

The United States will still count themselves as the most likely challengers to the throne of the defending champions, but Canada look like the early team to beat following Sunday's one-sided win.

The two favorites in the women's hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, opened their play on Sunday morning, with the United States facing Finland and Canada taking on the Olympic Athletes of Russia.

Below, we'll break down those results.

               

The United States beats Finland, 3-1

It took the United States' women a while to solve Finnish goalkeeper goalkeeper Noora Raty. But they eventually cracked the code, earning their first win in Pyeongchang in the process.

Finland's Venla Hovi opened the scoring with just 5.8 seconds remaining in the first period, but the United States took over from there, as Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Kendall Coyne each notched second-period tallies in a 3-1 victory. Dani Cameranesi's empty-net goal late in the third period iced the win for the United States.

Goalkeeper Maddie Rooney, meanwhile, saved 23 of the 24 shots she faced.

"It was tremendously important," Coyne said of Sunday's win, per Scott Charles of NBCOlympics.com. "We want to win the game, and I don't think we got down when we went down one-nothing. We stuck to our game plan."

"In order to be the best, you need to beat the best," she added. "It was a great first start, and our focus now turns to the Olympics Athletes from Russia."

The second period was the key, as the Americans outshot Finland in the period, 23-5, upping their pace of play while consistently pressuring the offensive zone.

The Americans peppered the Finnish goal on Sunday morning, forcing Ray to make 40 saves. Were it not for the Finnish star's strong performance, the United States likely would have won by a larger margin, as they largely controlled the game.

"If she can see it, it's probably not going in," Lamoureux-Morando noted of Raty. "We're going to face some tough goalies in this tournament so to bury two in the second was good for us, but moving forward, I'd like [us] to score a few more goals."

The Americans certainly weren't caught off guard by the stiff competition they faced in Finland.

"I expected this," U.S. coach Robb Stauber said, according to Wayne Drehs of ESPN.com. "It's not shocking that they can score goals and that they are going to play hard. We were ready to play 100 percent tonight. I would suspect if we weren't, we would have been in trouble. We expect this tournament to be hard-fought. And tonight it was."

Things won't get easier for the United States, which will next face the Olympic Athletes of Russia on Tuesday. Ditto for Finland, which will take on the gold-medal favorite Canadiens that same day.

               

Canada Beats the Olympic Athletes of Russia, 5-0

The Canadian women left little doubt as to why they are the favorites in Pyeongchang, easily dispatching of the Olympic Athletes of Russia on Sunday, 5-0.

Like the United States before them, Canada owned the second period, as Rebecca Johnston, Haley Irwin and Melanie Daoust all found the back of the net. Johnston wasn't done there, sniping a top-shelf goal in the third period from a tough angle to make it 4-0.

Rebecca Johnston roofs her second of the game 🏒⬆️🥅

Canada up 4-0 @RBC pic.twitter.com/FeVQlGTY9V

— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 11, 2018

Wow! Pardon me Rebecca Johnston! What. A. Goal! Her 2nd of the game just a beauty. @RJohnst6 a Sudbury native, nbd.

— Tessa Bonhomme (@Tessab25) February 11, 2018

Daoust added the team's fifth goal on the power play later in the third. 

OAR goalkeeper Nadezhda Morozova put up a good fight in the first period, stopping 15 shots to preserve a scoreless draw. But Canada's relentless attack and time on the power play was simply too much for Morozova and her Russian teammates to handle. 

By the time the final whistle blew, Canada had registered a whopping 48 shots to just 18 for the Russians.

In total, the Canadiens went on the power play seven times, scoring twice, while OAR was held goalless on its two attempts with an extra skater.

Switzerland and Sweden will try to keep pace with each other in Group B Monday ahead of their women's hockey showdown Tuesday, which will likely determine the group winner.

The Swiss showed no mercy in their opener Saturday, as they knocked off the unified Korea team 8-0 behind four goals from Alina Muller.

Sweden eked out a 2-1 victory over Japan in the tournament's opening game thanks to a third-period tally from Sara Hjalmarsson.

The two medal hopefuls will switch opponents for Monday's play, and if both nations win, they'll secure spots in the elimination round.

                

Monday Ice Hockey Schedule

All games can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com.

Women's Group B: Switzerland vs. Japan (2:40 a.m. ET)

Women's Group B: Sweden vs. Korea (7:10 a.m. ET)

                      

Can Muller Replicate Her Scoring Success?

Muller wasted no time thrusting her name into the women's hockey spotlight Saturday, as she scored a natural hat-trick in the first period of Switzerland's victory over Korea.

The 19-year-old said the Swiss felt a bit nervous going into the game against the host nation but that they settled into a rhythm and used the atmosphere to their advantage, per IIHF's Lucas Aykroyd: "We were a little bit nervous, but we were also excited to start the Olympics. We heard the crowd, and it helped us to win, I think. After two or three shifts it was fun to play. I wanted to show the crowd what we could do."

Muller, the younger sister of New Jersey Devils defenseman Mirco Mueller, tied the single-game Olympic scoring record held by Sweden's Pernilla Winberg and Switzerland's Stephanie Marty. She also joined Canada's Cherie Pipe and Jayna Hefford as one of the only players to record six points in an Olympic game, per the IIHF.

The Swiss are expected to receive more of a fight from Japan Monday, but there will be plenty of scoring opportunities for Muller to capitalize on after putting 12 shots on goal versus Korea.

Japan goalie Nana Fujimoto turned away 24 of the 26 shots she faced in the loss to Sweden, and she's expected to face another flurry from the Swiss attack, led by Muller and Lara Stadler.

Stadler came into the Olympics as Switzerland's attacker to watch, but her two goals and one assist in the opener pale in comparison to Muller's numbers.

                   

Will Sweden Find Same Attacking Success Switzerland Did Against Korea?

Sweden needs every ounce of confidence and momentum heading into the top-of-the-table clash with Switzerland to conclude pool play.

The good news for the Swedes is they have Korea next up on the schedule, and they are more than capable of matching Switzerland's offensive output from their game against the hosts.

Fanny Rask, who scored Sweden's first goal, and Rebecca Stenberg were the most active players in front of the net against Japan, as they totaled five and four shots, respectively.

Look for those two and Winberg to put pressure on the Korea defense from the opening horn.

Korea will enter the ice to play for pride after the eight-goal defeat to Switzerland. If the hosts can hang with Sweden for a period, they will gain some much-needed confidence.

However, the more likely outcome for Monday's game is for Sweden to rack up a ton of shots on goal and benefit from its offensive pressure early in the first period.

If everything goes to plan for Sweden, it will leave the ice with a win comparable to what Switzerland earned Saturday.

                 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

The United States women's hockey team came from behind to beat Finland 3-1 on Sunday in their first match of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

In the Group A contest, Finland performed excellently in the first period and took the lead five seconds before the break through Venla Hovi.

The United States' response came in the second period, as quickfire goals from Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Kendall Coyne put them in front.

The third period was tense, but despite their best efforts, Finland were unable to find an equaliser; Dani Cameranesi put the gloss on the scoreline for the U.S., firing into an empty net with just seconds remaining.

The first period was one of major frustration for the U.S., as they were held at arm's length by their opponents.

While they didn't have much possession, Finland were happy to camp on the blue line and prevent their rivals from having too much space in dangerous areas. Whenever the U.S. did venture forward, they found a brick wall in goal in Noora Raty.

A scoreless first period appeared to be on the cards, but with the clock ticking down, the United States defence switched off.

Linda Valimaki slalomed past a couple of challenges before setting up Hovi to finish from close range. As Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times noted, the underdogs had been gradually growing into this one as the first period was coming to a close:

Hovi from Valimaki and Nieminen makes it 1-0 for Finland over US after one period. Shots were 11-9 for US, but Finland was gaining momentum as the period went on.

— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) February 11, 2018

After the interval, the play followed a similar pattern, although the Americans were gradually able to show more quality and extra aggression.

Twenty-nine minutes into the match, they finally broke through, as Kelly Pannek won the puck back in a scramble and fed Lamoureux-Morando, who slotted home to Raty's right. As NBC Chicago's James Neveau noted, the 28-year-old showed tremendous persistence to score:

https://twitter.com/JamesNeveau/status/962607956452921344

The favourites were buoyed by that goal, and after a penalty against Valimaki brought a power play, they capitalised.

Hilary Knight kept composed on the left wing and squared to an unmarked Coyne, who slapped home a one-timer into the roof of the net. ESPN's Julie Foudy praised Team USA's fightback:

Knight to Coyne. Boom. And like that US back on top 2-1 and looking dominant. Nice response in 2nd period by US. https://t.co/WddpRpsZLU

— Julie Foudy (@JulieFoudy) February 11, 2018

The final stages of the second period saw the United States dominate, and before the break, the Finns were beginning to look a little weary. Tempers were also beginning to fray, per 7Olympics:

https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/962611645783539712

When the third period got under way, the favourites were well in control, as Finland failed to apply any major pressure in attack. The intent was there, but the touch of class needed to break down the U.S. wasn't.

Finland did have a late power play, but they were unable to take advantage, with the U.S. penalty-killers defending resolutely.

And when the Finns pulled Nati for an extra skater in search of a last-gasp equaliser, Cameranesi was able to scamper forward and fire into the unguarded goal to make sure of the win.

Next up for the United States is a meeting with the Olympic Athletes from Russia on Tuesday, while Finland will be hoping to bounce back against Canada earlier that day.