Olympic Ice Hockey

There's no doubting which team brought the most dough to Sochi.

The Canadian men's Olympic hockey roster adds up to a cool $140,093,332—an average NHL salary cap hit of nearly $6 million per player. That's about $30 million more than semifinal opponent Team USA, which rings in at less than $119 million and an average of $4,791,010.

But Canada is all bread and very little meat at the forward ranks. Its collection of stars have been dry and bland at the Olympic Winter Games thus far. Despite boasting some of the game's biggest stars—as the hefty price tag indicates—there has been something missing through four games at the tournament.

Defensemen Drew Doughty and Shea Weber have scored seven of the team's 13 goals, while big-ticket forwards Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, John Tavares, Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash have combined for nine points between them.

More troubling than the lack of point production from a four-line collection designed for speed and skill is the fact there is no clear checking line, or any physicality at all, to be found. 

Canada's opponent in Friday's semifinal, on the other hand, has plenty of meat. Specifically, the trio of David Backes, Dustin Brown and Ryan Callahan—appropriately dubbed the Meat Line, presumably because of the heavy way they play, pounding opponents and smothering the other team's stars.

Backes, who joked with ESPN's Scott Burnside about the moniker after a big quarterfinal win over the Czech Republic, leads the way with his size advantage. The other two play bigger than their physical stature: "I'm the beef, Dustin Brown's the pork and Callahan's the chicken, so that's our Meat Line."

In that same article, defenseman Ryan Suter expanded on the line's style of play, which, in addition to wearing the Czechs down over the course of the game, also resulted in a pair of critical first-period goals from Brown and Backes: "They're a tough line to play against. In the NHL, each of them on their own team are tough to play against. Putting them all together makes it extra tough."

Against Canada, the Meat Line gives Team USA a distinct edge. With seven players at or above a point per game in the tournament, the Americans have more scoring punch than they did in 2010 when they met Canada in the gold-medal game only to fall just short in overtime.

When you add a line that packs a heavy punch to that kind of scoring depth, it negates some of the speed and skill Canada chose to bulk up on instead of mixing in a few players who like to throw their weight around.

This is not Don Cherry's Team Canada.

In the games Canada has most struggled in Sochi so far, the blueprint for success against the odds-on favorite to win it all again was pretty much the same: Clog up the middle of the ice, take away their time and space and hit, hit, then hit some more.

Well, that and some pretty stellar goaltending.

The U.S. will follow that same plan, tossing the bash brothers out against any of the Canadian skill lines looking to capitalize on mistakes and tucker out a team that has appeared out of sync at times but never frustrated.

That frustration may finally become apparent in the semifinal. The Meat Line will certainly aspire to that. Hope you enjoy a good BBQ, Sid.

U.S. coach Dan Bylsma didn't say whom he'd match them up against but told Yahoo Sports the Meat Line represents the team's philosophy of hard work and frustrating the opposition.

They all have the same mentality. You watch the game (against the Czechs) and Ryan Callahan absolutely works, tenacious and finds himself in the net and in the corner taking a guy down, physical. David Backes at the net? Hard to play against. Dustin Brown’s not far off that with the way they play. That’s a tough line to play against.

It's the kind of line that can make the difference between playing for gold or playing for bronze.

Hockey coaches have to be more than just X’s and O’s people who toe the delicate balance between angry parent and understanding pal in an effort to keep their players motivated.

They also act as amateur chemists that attempt to concoct the perfect mixture of forwards.

While one coach is excelling at this during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, another has been watching his experiments nearly explode in his face.

Team USA's Dan Bylsma has been Marie Curie, discovering a radioactive mix of elements that have transformed his squad into a dangerous team that has reaped devastation on those who have attempted to handle it.

Team Canada's Mike Babcock has been more like Dr. Frankenstein, assembling a monster that appears human but has villagers ready to destroy it if it doesn’t get its act together immediately.

That’s the (half-)life in a short tournament with players who are mostly only vaguely familiar with each other, and Bylsma's work is worthy of a Nobel Prize while Babcock is worthy of whatever is the opposite of a Nobel Prize.

Perhaps a Lebon Prize?

Get it? It's Nobel backward.

Anyway, the good doctors Bylsma and Babcock are both undefeated at the Olympics, but each took different approaches to creating the chemistry of their teams.

Team USA rolled Slovakia 7-1 in its opening game of the tournament, an impressive win at the time that became less remarkable as the Slovaks failed to win a single game at Sochi. All four lines were involved in at least one goal with forwards scoring six of the seven goals. 

Bylsma liked what he saw and essentially put his feet up on his desk and ceased to worry about line combinations over his next three games. Outside of some fourth-line shuffling in group play, the only notable switch Bylsma has made with his lines was swapping left wings Zach Parise and Dustin Brown for the Czech Republic quarterfinal matchup.

Parise and Brown each scored a goal in the 5-2 win against the Czechs.

Bylsma decided on his lines before the tournament and with his team winning and producing, he left things alone for the most part.

Babcock went the other way in his chemistry experiment. His laboratory is probably so disheveled and smoke-filled that you’d think Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were working there.

Canada didn’t have the cakewalk Team USA did in its preliminary-round opener, beating Norway 3-1. There were some issues in the first period of that game, but Canada outshot Norway 14-2 in the second period and 29-11 over the final 40 minutes.

Canada dominated play but didn’t dominate the scoreboard. Outside of a 6-0 victory against Austria, it’s been the theme for the Canadians at the Olympics.

Yet instead of taking Bylsma's approach, Babcock has been mixing and matching between every game.

Sidney Crosby has yet to play with the same linemates in any game at Sochi. He has zero goals and two assists in four games as the revolving doors on wings have featured Chris Kunitz, Patrice Bergeron, Jamie Benn and Martin St. Louis.

By spending so much time on attempting to ignite his perceived top line—which has generated numerous glorious chances in every game except for the Finland contest that Canada won 2-1 in overtime—Babcock may be doing damage to his other forward groups and by extension his team.

Take the victory against Austria, a thorough beating by any standard.

Jeff Carter had three goals acting as the 13th forward roving through different linemates. The fourth line with John Tavares, Bergeron and Benn combined for nine shots. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Marleau were the trigger men on Carter’s other two goals.

Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and combined for seven shots with linemates Corey Perry and Matt Duchene.

The only line that came up empty as a line was Kunitz-Crosby-St. Louis, although they generated seven shots and were a consistent threat.

Instead of leaving well enough alone and letting everyone stick together for Canada’s first tough game against Finland, Babcock once again changed Crosby’s linemates. By doing so, he broke up a fourth line that was a consistent threat over the first two games and it almost cost Canada against Finland. 

With Tavares out for the remainder of the Olympics with a knee injury, Babcock will have no choice but to tinker once again, but he doesn’t need to partake in another makeover. He can simply insert Duchene into Tavares’ spot on the fourth line and leave everyone else alone. It would give his top-nine forwards some rare consistency in what will be Canada’s toughest matchup of the tournament.

If Bylsma goes all Dr. Frankenstein and drops Bergeron to fourth-line center and puts Duchene back with Marleau and Toews and moves Carter up with Crosby and slides Sharp over to…

You get the picture.

And that’s been the difference between Bylsma and Babcock. Bylsma has been playing the long game at Sochi, allowing his players to stick together in the hopes of developing chemistry. Babcock has been throwing random chemical compounds at a wall hoping to create an explosion.

If Babcock doesn’t figure it out before Friday, the villagers carrying torches and pitchforks will be fans wearing Team Canada jerseys.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @DaveLozo.

The 2014 Winter Olympics are the fifth in which women's hockey is being contested, and Thursday's gold-medal game will be the fourth between the United States and Canada in what has become a storied rivalry.

It is no secret that the United States and Canada are the dominant forces in the women's game, and while discussion continues regarding the level of competition as a whole, there is no question that the gold-medal contest will be an intense and exciting affair.

Canada has won three consecutive Olympic golds, so Team USA will be hungry to win its first since the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The United States seemed to have Canada's number heading into Sochi, Russia with several exhibition wins in its back pocket, but Canada has regained some momentum.

The Canadian women beat the Americans 3-2 in group play in what was a great appetizer prior to the ultimate showdown. The game was so good that Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports had strong words for detractors of women's hockey:

There is no question that some games tend to be hit or miss, but every United States vs. Canada game is truly special. Both teams are stacked with skill from top to bottom, and it will be extremely interesting to see which players will step up on the big stage.

Here is a full preview of the highly anticipated gold-medal matchup in women's hockey, complete with players to watch and a final prediction ahead of the North American clash.

Where: Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia

When: Thursday, Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. ET (5 p.m. GMT and 9 p.m. MSK)

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Team USA Player to Watch: Hilary Knight

Every player in Thursday's final will be motivated to top the podium, but few show that desire outwardly as much as American forward Hilary Knight. The 24-year-old University of Wisconsin product is arguably the most dominant power forward in women's hockey today. At 5'11" and 172 pounds, Knight has rare size that she uses to her advantage. Canada is known as a physical team with the United States relying more so on speed, but Knight is the type of player who can level the playing field.

Knight always seems to play with a purpose regardless of how big the stakes are, so it's exciting to think about the energy she'll display against Canada. Knight was part of the 2010 team in Vancouver that won silver, and losing to Canada four years ago is something that she continues to carry with her, according to Stephen Smith of CBS News.

"It wasn't a great feeling and it's still a feeling that haunts a bunch of us today and it's definitely in the back of our minds that we don't want to feel that way again," Knight said.

Knight has done her part when it comes to getting the Americans to this point. She has scored a goal in three of Team USA's four games in Sochi, and she has five points overall. She got the United States off to the best start possible in the opener with a goal less than a minute into the game against Finland. Doing something similar in the gold-medal game would be ideal, but even if Knight doesn't make an impact on the scoreboard, she will most definitely be noticeable. 

Team Canada Player to Watch: Marie-Philip Poulin

Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin was a relative unknown on the international scene four years ago as an 18-year-old, but all of that changed with one big performance. Poulin scored both Canadian goals in a 2-0 win over the United States in the gold-medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and she has been a huge star ever since then.

Poulin may very well be the most skilled female player in the world, and Canada will certainly count on her to come through against the United States once again. Matching what she did four years ago will be a tall task, but that didn't stop Canadian head coach Kevin Dineen from asking, according to Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail:

Poulin's stats in Sochi are modest thus far with a goal and two assists, but she proved in 2010 that she is a big-game player. Like Team USA, the Canadians have a whole roster of players who can potentially turn in game-deciding efforts, but Poulin tops that list.

She has a huge challenge ahead of her since the United States will do everything in its power to shut her down after her two-goal showing in Vancouver, but Poulin has such impressive offensive ability that she could steal the show once again.

Prediction

For all the talk of women's hockey lacking parity, it can be argued that no two top teams in any sport are as evenly matched as the American and Canadian women's hockey teams. They seemingly take turns beating each other, and while Canada has had more success at the Olympic level, Thursday's tilt is essentially a coin flip. Both teams feature incredible depth and skill both offensively and defensively, quality goaltending and world-class coaching staffs.

When two teams are this competitive, things often come down to one small mistake, one seemingly insignificant play or one X-factor. For Team USA, that X-factor could very well be forward Amanda Kessel. The younger sister of American men's forward Phil Kessel is the United States' most explosive and dynamic player, and she has enjoyed a breakout tournament in her own right.

Playing well on the Olympic stage clearly means a lot to Kessel, who seems ready to turn in what could be a transcendent performance:

Kessel enters the Olympics as the 2013 Collegiate Player of the Year, and there has been a great deal of focus on her due, in part, to her brother. Kessel has proven to be worthy of the hype, though, and she could ultimately be the difference.

It's difficult to measure intangibles and the impact they will have on hockey games, but the Americans seem to be oozing desire, and one has to think that they will be determined to bring gold back to the States. Some will point to Canada's group win as a reason why the Canadians will reign supreme again, but expect this mentally tough American team to use it as motivation and come out on top.

Predicted Score: USA 4, Canada 2

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The women's 2014 Winter Olympic hockey teams from Switzerland and Sweden will have to get over the letdown of losing their semifinals matchups and prepare to battle back in Thursday's bronze-medal game.

Switzerland fell just one game short of challenging for the gold medal in a 3-1 loss to Canada, while the Swedes were overwhelmed 6-1 by the USA. Those defeats have to be demoralizing to an extent, but a shot at the podium still looms for these two formidable clubs in Sochi, Russia.

The Americans outshot Sweden a whopping 70-9 in the semifinals, which will have to change if the Swedes are meant to challenge Switzerland for the bronze. Unlike other hockey tournaments, this game offers far more significance, since an Olympic medal is the consolation prize.

Let's take a look at this game that won't garner as much attention as the gold-medal clash between the tournament's two favorites but is still vital to the countries involved at Bolshoy Ice Dome.

When: Thursday, Feb. 20

Where: Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia

TV: NBC Sports Network from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EST (h/t NBCOlympics.com)

Live Stream: NBCSports.com Live Extra

Preview and Prediction

There are several factors at play here that suggest Switzerland should win this game, even though it will be close. Sweden was coming off an ecstatic victory over Finland ahead of the clash with the USA, which prompted some fiery commentary from Emma Eliasson, who scored the game-winning goal against the Finns.

"We are like the worst enemies ever," said Eliasson, per the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com).

That gives an idea of the thrill Sweden was experiencing just to get through to the semifinals, before it fell far short of the high-powered Americans. Perhaps that was to be expected, but the aforementioned disparity in shots is a big concern ahead of this matchup with Switzerland.

Eliasson and Anna Borgqvist headline as strong scoring threats for Sweden, but they may not be up to the task given Switzerland's recent form.

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times was surprised—along with other observers—to see the Swiss knock off Russia 2-0 on its home ice in the quarterfinals, considering Switzerland lost all three of its preliminary-round games:

But losing all three of the prior contests will happen when the likes of both the USA and Canada are in the pool. Switzerland competed well in the 3-1 semifinal loss to the Canadians and lost the other contest in overtime to Finland, so it's not as though the team's form was all that poor ahead of the encounter with the Russians.

The early setbacks were something the Swiss were bracing for, but they knew they had to saddle up for the Russia game, which they did in tremendous fashion.

"We prepared for that game for quite a while," said Switzerland goaltender Florence Schelling after defeating Russia, per the prior AP report. "We knew maybe we were going to lose all our games. Today was the game, the most important game for us."

Schelling stopped all 41 shots she faced in the quarterfinals, and she turned away 45 of 48 shots versus the mighty Canada team. She even shut out the Canadians over the final two periods, denying all 32 shots on goal. That stout play between the pipes should work to her country's advantage in a big way in this upcoming bronze-medal battle.

Swedish goalie Valentina Lizana-Wallner has faced just about the maximum offensive onslaught possible, though, having been blitzed by the U.S. in the semifinals. She should be prepared for anything the Swiss' formidable front line throws at her, which will help keep the outcome tight.

However, look for Switzerland's superior competition in group play, better effort in the semifinals and advantage at goaltender to drive them to the podium in what will be an entertaining showdown in Sochi.

Prediction: Switzerland 2, Sweden 1

After Wednesday's Olympic men's hockey results from Sochi, only four teams remain in contention for the gold medal. 

Top-seeded Sweden laid waste to Slovenia to open up the action on Day 12, and the big win foreshadowed an afternoon in Sochi that belonged to the favorites. 

In all four quarterfinals matchups, the top seed advanced.

Here's a look at the final scores for all four games from Wednesday:

This doesn't happen every time the Winter Games are held, but all four top seeds are headed to the semifinals.

Here's a look at the updated bracket, courtesy of FanSided:

Henrik Lundqvist pitched a shutout for Sweden against Slovenia, and Carl Hagelin scored twice in the 5-0 rout. This was an expected result, especially in light of Slovenia being a tired team, while Sweden had been resting up. 

Via Shawn P. Roarke NHL.com, Hagelin said:

When we got that second goal, we knew they had played the night before and, usually, when you play the night before, you are going to have a strong start to the game, but if you don't get a goal you are going to feel the energy go away. After we scored that second goal, it felt like they didn't have much left. We did play a lot stronger and better on the puck in the third.

Sweden will now take on No. 4 seed Finland in the semifinals after Finland defeated Russia on Wednesday, 3-1. 

Goalie Tuukka Rask was absolutely phenomenal against the host nation, thwarting 37 of the 38 shots he faced. His fine play was more than good enough to send Finland to the semifinals, as Juhamatti Aaltonen, Teemu Selanne and Mikael Granlund all scored.

The Russian crowd (as well as the team) was understandably crushed by the loss, which makes three straight Olympic appearances without a medal, per ESPN Stats & Info:

On the other side of the bracket, Canada and Team USA both advanced, setting up a North American semifinals matchup that should live up to any and all hype surrounding it. 

The Americans breezed past the Czech Republic, 5-2, thanks to another stellar offensive showing. In reality, the contest wasn't even that close, as the losing team scored a meaningless goal in the final minutes.

This is a squad that continues to grow and build upon every win, and this isn't happening by accident.

"Obviously, winning your pool is a good thing, but there's also a very big portion outside of just winning the games," head coach Dan Bylsma said before Wednesday's contest, via Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. "We have to build this team, and you've got to be able to keep working to get better, keep working to build, to get ready for your fourth game."

Team USA will need a similar growth spurt in the semifinals to avoid losing to Canada, which is always formidable in Olympic competition. 

Though Canada was heavily favored to beat Latvia, it was a struggle to advance.

Winning by a narrow margin of 2-1, the Canadians are still in great shape to repeat as gold-medal winners in men's hockey. 

After Canada barely squeaked past a team that should have never had a chance, Peter Mansbridge of CBC made an amusing comment on Twitter regarding the close score compared to the NHL salaries of those competing:

Shea Weber came through with the game-winning goal with just under seven minutes left in regulation. From there, Canada's formidable defense kept Latvia from making the game interesting in the waning moments. 

The semifinals games will be contested on Friday, Feb. 21.

The losing teams will then meet up in the bronze-medal game on Saturday, with the winners getting a day off to prepare for the gold-medal game on Sunday, which is the final day of competition at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. 

Hockey fans are in for a fantastic series of final games, as the gold medal is still very much in play for all four teams remaining. 

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Team Canada survived a huge scare during the men's hockey quarterfinals game against Latvia with a power-play goal in the third period of a 2-1 win, but it came at a cost.

Now the gold medalists from the 2010 Winter Olympics will have to go into a rematch of the gold-medal final with Team USA without one of their star forwards in John Tavares of the New York Islanders.

Canada's coach Mike Babcock confirmed that Tavares went down with an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the tournament, according to Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Sun:

It was already going to be a tough road for the Canadians to get through the Americans and either Sweden or Finland to claim back-to-back golds. Now the same team that has combined for four goals (one in overtime against the Finns) over the last two games will have to find offense without Tavares in the lineup.

Let's put it this way: The Canadians were already under fire for their lack of scoring out of the forward position, and this doesn't make matters any easier.

Jason Brough of NBC Sports' Pro Hockey Talk touched on the offensive topic after the preliminary round:

Team Canada has now played three games at these Olympics. Two of them have been against tournament minnows Norway and Austria, the other versus injury-ravaged Finland. In total, Canada has scored 10 times in regulation, plus one more in overtime. And of those 11 goals, only five have been scored by forwards.

Stephen Whyno of The Canadian Press also tweeted a quote from Babcock after the preliminary round:

Needless to say, fans in Canada and New York might be a little upset with Babcock at this point.

But not all is lost for the Canadians. Now that we've gotten the negatives out of the way, let's take a look at the bright side.

For one, Tavares is a talented player, but he was far from the most dynamic on this Canada squad.

With several potent scorers in Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Patrick Sharp who have combined for a total of 263 points in the NHL this season, Canada appears to still be in good hands. All of that firepower actually put Tavares on the fourth line coming into the game against Latvia.

But without their production thus far, this team has been winning on defense and goaltending. Carey Price, who has been in goal during wins over Norway, Finland and Latvia, spoke about his defensemen, per Chris Stevenson of the Toronto Sun:

For me personally, it’s kind of fun playing behind a real good defensive team like that, where everybody’s sticks are so well-placed, everybody’s always on the right side of the puck.

You’re just trying to do your job and stay alert. You want to stop that next shot, that’s all you think about out there.

While the Tavares situation appears to put the Canadians in dire straits going up against the Americans, the team will simply need to rely on a stout defense and hope the forwards can finally pull through when the pressure is on.

Going up against a U.S. team that has 20 goals through four games, Canada was already faced with an arduous task in the semifinals. In a do or die situation for Canada, it's time for the rest of the team to step up.

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The USA men's hockey team has played the best of any country thus far at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Friday presents an opportunity for revenge in the semifinal for the Americans when they take on Canada.

After losing to the hosting Canadians in the 2010 gold-medal game in Vancouver, the U.S. will finally get another crack at knocking off their rival—this time not playing in enemy territory. With the offensive firepower the U.S. has shown off in the tournament and the lethargy on display from Canada throughout, all signs point to the Americans advancing to the final.

USA coach Dan Bylsma implied that his club wanted another shot at the Canadians after crushing the Czech Republic 5-2 to advance past the quarterfinals on Wednesday, per USA Hockey's official Twitter account:

Canada has yet to put together a truly complete game, which is somewhat of a concern considering the depth their side has on the front line. But that loaded roster is something the Canadians haven't capitalized on, while the U.S. has been filling up the net in the meantime.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel plays in the NHL north of the border, but thankfully for the U.S. he is on their side in international competition. Kessel has lit it up on the Olympic stage, scoring five of the team's 20 goals.

Jonas Siegel of TSN pointed out how Kessel alone is just one goal shy of the scoring total the Canada forwards have managed in the Winter Games:

That gives an idea of the disparity in production going on, and the Canadians barely even advanced to the semifinals in beating Latvia 2-1, whose skill level simply doesn't match up with the caliber of teams in Friday's showdown.

CBC News' Peter Mansbridge offered a humorous take on how much better Canada was supposed to be in terms of their talent pool:

Credit Latvia for fighting to the end, but this was yet another discouraging sign for the Canadians. It is also proof that they aren't ready to take on an American team in such strong form.

In Vancouver, current USA captain Zach Parise scored the tying goal with less than 30 seconds remaining to force overtime before Canada won it in sudden-death overtime. If the previous games in the Sochi tournament are any indication, this contest shouldn't be all that close.

The Canadians are due for a strong outing, and it stands to reason that prolific scorers such as Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash and others will step up. Then again, they couldn't find the net more than twice against the Latvians despite out-shooting them 57-16. It's been defensemen who have shouldered the offensive load for Canada.

Drew Doughty scored both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over Finland in the preliminary round, and blue-liner Shea Weber scored the game-winner versus Latvia on Wednesday.

Plenty of hype will engulf the Bolshoy Ice Dome when USA and Canada take the ice for a Friday face-off, but the Americans are undoubtedly the better team at the moment. In what should be a hard-fought, competitive clash, the U.S.'s superior offense will cause the Canadians to crumble.

Prediction: USA 4, Canada 2

As the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi begin to wind down, only a few games remain in the ice hockey tournament, as we've now reached the semifinals.

The United States came away with a strong 5-2 win Wednesday over the Czech Republic thanks to an all-around terrific performance. Meanwhile, Canada sneaked by Latvia with a 2-1 win, but the biggest story from the quarterfinals was Russia. Despite high expectations, the Russians were unable to take down Finland, losing 3-1, eliminating them from medal contention.

Four teams remain in the ice hockey tournament, so let's take a look at the remaining bracket along with the schedule for the rest of the games and a preview for the two semifinal matches.

Sweden vs. Finland

After taking the gold medal back in 2006, it looks like the Swedish team is ready to make another run for the gold this year, but the Swedes will have to get through the team that took down Russia before they can make it to the finals.

Even without the likes of Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Sedin, Sweden just keeps rolling on, having won all four of its games in regulation. The most recent came in the 5-0 shutout against Slovenia to help it advance to the quarterfinals.

A big reason for the team's success in this year's Olympics has been goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who recorded 19 saves in the shutout win over Slovenia. It was his second shutout of the tournament, and he's been on fire, posting a goals-against average of just 1.25 and a .949 save percentage.

If Finland wants to take down Sweden, then it is going to have to find a way to get through Lundqvist. Sami Vatanen will be an important part of the team's offensive attack, as he's already set up his teammates with four assists so far.

However, it looks like this matchup has all the makings of a low-scoring affair, especially with Tuukka Rask in goal for Finland. The Boston Bruins goalie recorded 39 saves in the win over Russia, and with how good he's been in the NHL this season, Sweden might struggle to find goals as well.

USA vs. Canada

For American hockey fans, this might be one of the most exciting games of hockey in a while.

Team USA has exceeded expectations with some great wins at Sochi, including a thrilling shootout win over Russia that made St. Louis Blues star T.J. Oshie an American hero after making goal after goal during the shootout.

But Oshie isn't the only player to make a name for himself during the Olympics. Phil Kessel has become a big name as well, leading all Olympic players with eight points, including an impressive five goals. Meanwhile, Jonathan Quick has been great in nets for the U.S., posting a strong 1.62 GAA.

But this game against Canada could be the biggest test for the Americans. Although Sidney Crosby hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, a number of others have. Carey Price has just a 0.99 GAA, consistently keeping opponents from scoring. Drew Doughty has recorded six points and four goals, while Patrick Marleau has four assists of his own.

Overall, there's a ton of talent on both of these teams, and that will likely make for an exciting matchup to determine who will make it to the finals.

The obstacle between the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team and the gold-medal game is an impressive one. But as menacing as the roster of the Canadian team the Americans will meet in the semifinal is, this version of Team USA has done an awfully good job of powering right through seemingly difficult roadblocks without so much as slowing down.

The United States’ win over the Czech Republic owed something to a Czech coach clearly in over his head and grossly incompetent work in the Czech net, but even so, it was a convincing victory on what was otherwise an unconvincing day for hockey's traditional powers.

Unlike half of the lower-seeded teams in the quarterfinals, the Czechs were a legitimate threat to medal, but Team USA beat them by almost the same score that Sweden defeated tiny Slovenia. Meanwhile, the Russians were beaten by fourth-seeded Finland, and Canada just barely squeaked out a victory over Latvia.

Convincing performances are becoming a U.S. specialty.

Slovakia, a team boasting NHL stars like Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara, should have been a challenge. When all was said and done, the United States had defeated Slovakia 7-1, a blow the Slovaks never quite recovered from in their subsequent games. Russia most certainly was a challenge, but Team USA proved equal to the test, gritting out a 3-2 shootout victory. That was followed by an obligatory victory over Slovenia (5-1) and then the win over the Czechs by almost an identical margin (5-2). If not for the strong work of Ales Hemsky, it would have been a shutout victory for the United States.

It is a truism that for a team to win games its best players need to be its best players, and perhaps that explains how the Americans have been so successful. Phil Kessel has been the most impressive forward in the Olympics to date, scoring five times and adding three assists in four games. Regular linemates Joe Pavelski and James van Riemsdyk are both also scoring at over a point-per-game pace.

Nor has the back end been negligent. Ryan Suter contributed three assists and played 22:10 in the United States’ first elimination contest. In net, the difference between Jonathan Quick and Ondrej Pavelec could not have been clearer. Quick was tested often and stood up to the challenge. He now has a 0.935 save percentage in three games, all of them against teams with high-end offensive talent.

There is however, something still more impressive about how the U.S. team has played in Sochi. These games mark the first time since NHL players started participating in Olympic hockey that the American entry has been able to put on a clinic outside of North America.

In 1998, the United States lost twice in the group round, stumbling its way to a quarterfinals loss at the hands of the Czech team it crushed so convincingly on Wednesday. In 2006, the only American victory of the tournament came over Kazakhstan; they lost three times and were merely able to tie Latvia in the group round before falling to Finland, again in the quarterfinals.

The failures overseas contrast sharply with American dominance on their own side of the Atlantic. In both 2002 and 2010, Team USA was undefeated until the final game of each tournament.     

Never before, in other words, has the U.S. been able to field a team that showed itself a real gold-medal threat overseas. What changed?

While it is tempting to ascribe that success to some big shift, the more likely answer is more plausible: USA Hockey has made a host of incremental improvements and has been rewarded for its choice of coaching staff. 

"The U.S. have really good skills and speed," Czech goalie Ondrej Pavelec said (via the IIHF). "Their goaltending is very good. Before the tournament, everyone was saying that Russia and Canada were supposed to win, but the U.S. are a young team with a lot of skill and if you are not ready for them, they can hurt you."

It is tempting to dismiss the accomplishment, to point out that Slovakia was beset by injury, the Czech Republic was guilty of many self-inflicted wounds and that Russia fell in the quarterfinals. Those comments are all true, but to focus on them unfairly diminishes the greatness of what Team USA has already accomplished.

To demonstrate how impressive the United States’ accomplishments have been, one needs to look no further than Friday’s opponent. Canada’s route to the semifinals has seen them face Norway, Austria, an undermanned Finnish team and Latvia. Only once in those four games was the Canadian team able to provide a convincing win.

Whatever happens the rest of the way, Team USA’s managers, coaches and players deserve much credit for what they have already accomplished. And given those accomplishments, it should surprise nobody if the United States has all the answers for the daunting Canadian team it now faces.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics are courtesy of IIHF.com and are current through Feb. 19. For other pieces by Jonathan Willis, follow him on Twitter.