Olympic Ice Hockey

The United States and Canada will clash to determine hockey supremacy at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Fans from opposing sides of the border will get treated to twice the fun when both the men and women representing the two nations will square off in Sochi. Although both showdowns will read "USA vs. Canada," the stakes are higher on the women's side.

The two heavy favorites will meet on Thursday, with gold medals hanging in the balance. Canada will look to replicate last week's victory and win its fourth straight Olympic title. 

While the winner of the men's slate is not guaranteed gold, they will advance to the championship game to meet Sweden and Finland. With Russia receiving a surprising exit, the winner between the U.S. and Canada will enter the gold-medal match as the favorite.

Let's take a look at each game between the North American powerhouses.

U.S. Men's Outlook

Four years in the making, sweet revenge is on the U.S. men's mind after Vancouver's thrilling finish.

Team USA had juggernaut Canada on the ropes, but Sidney Crosby saved the day with a game-winning goal in overtime. Unfortunately for the U.S., Crosby is back to guide his homeland to another first-place finish.

He's not the last of the Americans' worries, though. As ESPN Stats & Info illuminates, this matchup is full of top scorers from Sochi.

Topping the tally from both teams is Phil Kessel, who was the NHL's only player to notch more than 30 goals and assists apiece before breaking for Olympic play. One of his five Olympic scores came during Wednesday's quarterfinals victory over the Czech Republic.

He's in a particularly precarious position, as a victory may not earn him a warm welcome when he resumes play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But Crosby probably wasn't an American hero either in 2010, until Pittsburgh Penguins fans remembered he's back on their side.

American forward Max Pacioretty acknowledged to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com) that Canada is the bigger hockey mainstay, but he welcomes the challenge:

It's a great opportunity. They're obviously the favorite coming into the tournament, and we've opened up a lot of eyes with our play, but we have more in the tank to give and to show. We keep getting better every game, and hopefully we'll keep getting better after this one.

So far in this tournament, the U.S. has looked better. The Americans have scored 19 goals through four games and outlasted a strong Russian squad in front of the home crowd in an epic shootout. Canada, on the other hand, has not shown significant superiority outside of its 6-0 rout over Austria.

U.S. Women's Outlook

This is the matchup everyone expected and wanted. Heck, the International Olympic Committee changed the rules to give them automatic semifinal bids after advancing past group play.

Now, the U.S. will meet Canada in a rematch from Feb. 12, when the Canadians edged out a 3-2 victory. 

The men may get more attention, but the women are entrenched in a greater rivalry that is the Winter Olympics version of the Yankees vs. Red Sox. This is the fifth Olympic tournament featuring women's ice hockey and the fourth that boils down to a U.S.-Canada championship clash.

Canada holds the 2-1 edge, winning the most recent two in 2002 and 2010. The U.S. is the only other country to have finished in first, winning during the event's introduction year in 1998.

The United States' top-two stars present its key to finally derailing Canada. While Phil Kessel looks to lead the men to victory, his sister, Amanda Kessel, is also fueling her squad to triumph with a team-high six points. CJ Fogler provides a side-by-side comparison of the Kessel siblings' Sochi stats:

Along with a huge game from Kessel, the U.S. will count on veteran Julie Chu, who is still hunting for her first gold medal in her fourth Olympic try. While she injured her hand earlier in the week, she shook it off and played in the 6-1 semifinal victory over Sweden.

U.S. coach Katy Stone, who also coached Chu at Harvard, described her importance to the team to espnW.com's Wayne Drehs:

She just brings experience. She's in the right place at the right time, ready to make plays. She overcommunicates with her teammates. She helps them stay calmer on so many levels. She's a caring soul. We wouldn't be here without her.

A win would provide a storybook ending for Chu and a team that has drawn the short straw of a heated rivalry with Canada. Neither nation will feel great about leaving Sochi with silver.

As fate would have it, the United States and Canada are set to meet in the men's hockey semifinals at the 2014 Winter Games.

The United States fulfilled its end of the bargain via a 5-2 win over the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, while Canada moved past Latvia by a 2-1 margin. CBS Sports has the details of the big matchup, which fans will be able to stream live on NBC Live Extra:

The rematch of the 2010 gold-medal game in Vancouver is sure to be an epic affair. In a game of adjustments, a few noteworthy elements come to mind that fans must pay attention to before the contest.

Can Canada Overcome the U.S. Defense?

It seems like such a simple question.

While Canada has scored 10 goals so far in the bracket, the team has had a rather easy schedule outside of the preliminary-round bout with Finland, which it was only able to win 2-1.

As James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail points out, Canada is by far the worst shooting team left in the Games:

As if to perfectly contrast Canada's style, the Americans have only surrendered six goals on their path to the final. The defense does an outstanding job of pushing attackers to the outside of the offensive zone, and goalkeepers such as Jonathan Quick have played stout defense in front of the net.

In fact, this strategy of pushing the Canadian attackers to the outside is exactly what Latvia, Norway and Finland employed to sound success. America will surely continue to do the same. Adam Hearty of the Global News puts it best:

Canada needs to speed up and adjust to the defensive scheme the U.S.A. puts into use. If they don’t, then a couple goals from the speedy American forwards could be all it takes to crush Canada’s hopes of repeating as Olympic champions—or even making it to the gold-medal game.

Much of the reason Canada has struggled offensively has to do with the next point, which more than deserves its own spotlight.

Sidney Crosby's Disappearing Act

Where in the world is Sidney Crosby?

There is simply no excuse for Crosby not finding the back of the net so far. Yes, his team is littered with NHL talent, but said talent has not been scoring, either. A Latvia defense with only one NHL player in its lineup held Crosby in check and limited the Canadians to just two goals.

Split opinions exist on the Crosby dilemma. Jeff Veillette of The Leafs Nation believes it is unfair to place all the blame on Crosby:

Others, such as Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, want to see Crosby step up:

Whatever it takes to get Crosby going is necessary. Perhaps more time next to fellow Pittsburgh linemate Chris Kunitz will do the trick. Whatever "it" is, it needs to happen fast—the Americans are more than ready for the matchup.

This notion was best explained by David Backes after his team's big win over the Czech Republic, via Andy Potts of the International Ice Hockey Federation:

I want to win a gold medal, and we have to beat the best teams to do that. If it's Canada next we have to meet that head on. It seems like we were on a crash course to meet, and now it's going to be in the semifinal.

The U.S. has been ready for the matchup for quite some time. International hockey requires adjustments, and the U.S. has simply been better in this regard thus far. Canada appears to be a bunch of superstars just thrown together without any real chemistry.

Above all else, how Crosby responds against the U.S. again will likely decide the game.

When a reporter asked Team Canada coach Mike Babcock why he went with goaltender Carey Price in the final game of group play against Finland despite Roberto Luongo playing so well in a shutout of Austria, he said that was the plan before the start of the 2014 Sochi Olympics and he saw nothing to make him change his mind.

Babcock made his assessment based on months, if not years of play by Price and Luongo, and nothing that happened against Norway and Austria was going to affect it.

As a nation turns its eyes toward a showdown with Team USA in the semifinals on Friday, that’s the same tack everyone should take after Canada’s dominant yet tight 2-1 victory against Latvia in the quarterfinals. Nothing that occurred on the ice—outside of a catastrophic injury to John Tavares—should influence your feelings about the quality of Team Canada.

If you believed Canada was the favorite for gold before Wednesday, you should still believe it.

If you believed Canada was vulnerable because of its forwards’ inability to finish grade-A scoring chances, you should still believe it.

Pushing around Latvia after it played 24 hours earlier shouldn't matter to anyone, Babcock included, one bit.

Canada served up more shots than a bartender on St. Patrick’s Day in its win against Latvia. Canada struggled to finish, sure, but it outshot an exhausted and overmatched Latvian squad 57-16, and the game probably wasn’t even as close as those numbers indicated.

What does that mean against a high-scoring American squad that will be rested and ready for a shot at revenge for a loss in the gold-medal game four years ago in Vancouver?

Nothing. Zero. Zip. 

Coincidentally, that’s also the nickname for Sidney Crosby and whoever is on his line during the Olympics.

If there’s anything that should give Canada more hope after beating Latvia, ironically, it’s the leg injury to Tavares that will end the center’s Olympics.

Two things haven't changed throughout this tournament: Babcock’s penchant for dispersing playing time evenly among his four lines and his obsessive need to find new linemates for Crosby in what has been a menage a frustration for everyone.

But who could blame Babcock for his ice-time management? The lines of Ryan Getzlaf and Jonathan Toews have been outstanding at generating chances throughout the tournament. The same can be said for the so-called fourth line centered by Tavares, which set up Canada’s first goal against Latvia.

But after Tavares went down in the second period, Babcock did something he hasn’t done throughout the Olympics—he shortened his bench and it paid dividends in the third period.

Canada outshot Latvia 22-5 in the third period, and the constant pressure led to a penalty, which led to Shea Weber’s power-play goal that proved to be the winner.

Crosby finished with about 18 minutes of ice time, about four minutes fewer than he usually plays in the NHL but about two more than he played when Canada struggled against Finland, its one tough opponent in the tournament. Crosby’s line once again came up empty Wednesday, but they were dangerous in the third period when called upon more by Babcock.

The results haven't been there for Crosby, but the chances have. If Babcock leaves him be with Chris Kunitz and Patrice Bergeron against Team USA, it's the best thing for Canada.

The top players in the world always play the most minutes for their NHL teams, but that changes when they’re brought together on an international All-Star team. With Tavares done and Matt Duchene likely to slot in as the fourth-line center, it gives Babcock the excuse he’s needed to lean on his big three lines against the Americans.

It's impossible to predict a team’s play against a strong squad like Team USA based on how it did against an inferior, gassed opponent like Latvia. The frequency and quality of chances Canada had against Latvia won’t be the same against Team USA in the semifinals.

But based on how Canada struggled with being a four-line team in its overtime win against Finland, emulating that strategy against Team USA would have dramatically reduced its chances of advancing to the gold-medal game. By feeding Crosby, Toews and Getzlaf the bulk of the work, Canada might be in better shape now than it was 24 hours ago.

It’s bizarre to say an injury to a Hart Trophy finalist and the NHL’s third-leading scorer is a good thing for a team, but it could be for Team Canada.

Canada's middle two lines, which have been so good throughout the Olympics, continued to dominate against Latvia. Patrick Marleau, Toews and Jeff Carter combined for 13 shots; Jamie Benn, Getzlaf and Corey Perry had 12 shots. 

Including the seven shots from Crosby's line, that's 32 shots from the top-nine forwards that resulted in zero goals.

If those three lines play that way against Team USA, will they really not find the back of the net again?

Anything else that comes offensively beyond that from a fourth line or defenseman is gravy.

As long as Babcock focuses on the flood of scoring chances and shots generated by his forwards, ignores the goal totals and decides against shuffling anything in his top three lines, Canada will be a handful against Team USA.

If Babcock flips the switch on his line combination blender for Team USA, there could be trouble.

Pretend this game against Latvia never happened. If you believed in this team and these line combinations before Wednesday, nothing that happened in the quarterfinals should have changed your mind.

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

Russian Olympic hockey coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is having about as good a time answering questions as you can expect when the national team is ousted from competition for the third straight time before collecting any hardware.

Bilyaletdinov shared some thoughts on Alex Ovechkin's disappearing act and even managed to invite any and all media to go ahead and eat him. (Don't worry, we will get to that shortly.)

First, we might as well inform those not already in the know that Russia has unfortunately been sent off, losing to Finland, 3-1, on Wednesday and failing to medal in the last three Olympics, via ESPN.

More importantly, it has been 22 years since the nation took gold. For now, the host country is left to shake its collective head and wonder how things went wrong.

Well, some are wondering; others are answering questions.

Yahoo! Sports' Dmitry Chesnokov reports on the embattled coach and has thoughts on where all the offense went.

Bilyaletdinov offered on one of his more popular stars, "Tough to explain the loss, of course, why scored so little. Players who score so many goals for their clubs, like Alex Ovechkin, who scored 40 goals for his club [didn’t score]… Right now I cannot explain that."

Some of you might be ready to pull Ovechkin out from under that huge Russian bus he was just tossed under, but Bilyaletdinov was just getting started.

He was far more critical of himself and, well, engaging in a press conference with reporters. Thankfully, The Wall Street Journal's Anton Troianovski spotted and transcribed some of the more pertinent parts of the media blitz.

The coach was obviously asked why his two stars in the form of Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin weren't kept on separate lines when it was evident to some that his dynamic duo was clearly not as dynamic as many hoped.

This is the moment that Bilyaletdinov succinctly fell upon the sword by stating, "I don't want to talk about this now. I'm at fault for everything. I didn't fulfill the task before me."

He would later continue, apologizing to fans, "I apologize to the fans for this result. We were unsuccessful, and the expectations were totally different."

Now comes the most intriguing part of the conference. While we don't have video, it certainly seems that things became contentious, as things are to do when a powerful nation bows out on their home ice.

The transcription, via Troianovski, starts with a question from one of the 20 reported media personnel in the area:

Q: What future, if any, do you see for your own work and for your coaching staff? Because, you know, your predecessor was eaten alive after the Olympics—

A: Well then, eat me alive right now—

Q: No, I mean—

A: Eat me, and I won't be here anymore.

Q: But we have the world championship coming up!

A: Well then, there will be a different coach because I won't exist any more, since you will have eaten me.

Q: But you're staying, aren't you?

A: Yes, I will remain living.

And this is how Russia's hockey team leaves: not with a whimper but with a ridiculous and absurd exchange that seems to fit these particular Olympics rather nicely.

If you need Bilyaletdinov, he will be around, possibly preparing for the next Russian endeavor. Rest assured, he is very much alive and not in danger of being gobbled up by the nation's reporters.

It will just seem like that for a period of time.

Canada and Team USA have been on a collision course for the women's hockey gold-medal game at the 2014 Winter Games since the first qualifiers took place nearly two weeks ago. Both teams feature noteworthy stars who will have something to say about the outcome.

While the Americans have been unstoppable thus far, Canada is still the team to beat until proven otherwise—especially after winning their Group A game, 3-2.

Furthermore, according to Reuters (via NBCOlympics.com): "Canada has won the last three gold medals and will once again be the team to beat despite an abrupt head coaching change less than two months before the Olympics."

Now, it's time to see which team will reign supreme in Sochi, as the two powerhouse squads are set to duke it out for the gold on Thursday.

Here's a look at when and where you can catch the action, followed by an examination of the top stars to watch when Canada and the United States play for gold.

When: Thursday, Feb. 20, at 12 p.m. ET

Where: Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Olympics Live Extra

Stars to Watch

USA: Brianna Decker, Forward

Brianna Decker scored one goal and dished out two assists to score three points in the 6-1 semifinal victory over Sweden to help Team USA vault into the final. 

For the tournament, Decker has scored twice and has assisted on four goals, and she is plus-nine. 

Decker and the American team has been eyeing this matchup against Canada since before the Games began, having watched their neighbor from the north win three consecutive golds. 

“We want to steal it back,” Decker told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. “Our main goal is to win a gold medal.”

Canada: Rebecca Johnston, Forward

The Canadians will need to score in order to keep up with the high-flying Americans, who have scored 20 goals to this point. 

This means Rebecca Johnston will need to continue playing well up front. She's scored twice and has dished two assists thus far, and she is plus-five. 

Additionally, Johnston has another big stat to her credit: She scored Canada's 500th goal in Olympic and World Cup competitions during the team's opener in the 2014 Games. Afterward, she was far more focused on winning gold than any personal achievements.

“It was important to get off to a good start, get some confidence going here,” she said, as relayed by Tim Wharnsby of Olympics.CBC.ca. 

USA: Jessie Vetter, Goalie

U.S. goalie Jessie Vetter has allowed just five goals in four games thus far. 

She's got quite a resume, as shown by Juice Vetter on Twitter, and she was part of the silver-medal team that lost to Canada in 2010:

Vetter interestingly was considering playing soccer in college, but she decided instead to focus on school and hockey. 

"It was definitely a difficult decision because hockey was my first love," she said, via Sochi2014.com. "I thought about playing hockey and football at University of Wisconsin-Madison, but with academics and the overlap of season, it would have been too difficult [to play both]."

American hockey fans are happy she made the choice she did. If she can continue her strong play, then Team USA will win the gold. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 

The Czechs should have been a test for Team USA. Instead the Americans, who have stood up under a tough schedule for the entire tournament, routed a team that was a decided mismatch in net and especially behind the bench.

It wasn't a perfect game for the United States, despite the 5-2 score. The depth players on both defence and up front weren't very good, and if not for the fact that Jonathan Quick outplayed Ondrej Pavelec by a laughable margin this one might have been competitive. 

The United States now advances to the semifinals for a date with a Canadian team that had all it could handle against Latvia. For those who believe in the power of momentum, Team USA has it in spades. 

Final Analysis

James van Riemsdyk—Joe Pavelski—Phil Kessel

Van Riemsdyk had a bad-angle goal in the first period, but did it while skating with Team USA's second line. This line had three first-rate scoring chances but gave up opportunities the other way too. Kessel scored the 5-1 goal and his speed made him dangerous all game.

Zach Parise—Ryan Kesler—Patrick Kane

This line did an ice job of out-chancing the Czechs, and though they failed to score an even-strength goal in the game they were on the ice for van Riemsdyk's first period marker and Kesler made the pass for Kessel's goal in the third. 

Dustin Brown—David Backes—Ryan Callahan

It was this trio that was victimized on Ales Hemsky's goal, but they earned that back and then some, with David Backes scoring one goal on a prone Pavelec and assisting on another by Dustin Brown. Backes had two great chances in the second too, as this line surprisingly led the way offensively for Team USA. 

Max Pacioretty—Paul Stastny—T.J. Oshie/Blake Wheeler

Pacioretty had a pretty decent scoring chance shortly before Dustin Brown's goal, but this line spent way too much time in its own end against the Czechs in the first period. They were better in the second but faltered again in the third. 

Ryan Suter—Ryan McDonagh

The top unit was on the ice for four American scoring chances in the first period, the best total of any of these lines or pairings. They did get burned on Hemsky's goal but like the third forward line were also on the ice for two USA goals. Their strong play continued into the second period, where they didn't allow a single Czech scoring chance. This pair finished the game as easily USA's best. 

Brooks Orpik—Paul Martin

The second pair spent some time in their own end but did nice work in front of the net and came out of the first period on the black scoring chances-wise. They got buried in the second period though, out-chanced by a 3:1 ratio in the frame. Overall, it was an uneven game for this second unit. 

Cam Fowler—Kevin Shattenkirk/John Carlson

This trio created some offence, but more than half of Czech chances through the game had at least one of these three defencemen on the ice. They spent too much time in their own end, and allowed the Czech Republic too much space in front of the net.

Jonathan Quick

Quick was a little shaky in the first period. He wasn't really at fault on the goal against, but he was beat by Ales Hemsky in the slot (Ryan Callahan bailed him out by sweeping the puck away after it trickled through) and had a Petr Nedved shot ring off the crossbar. He looked much better as he settled in the rest of the way, making some very significant saves and playing at a level far, far above what Pavelec managed at the other end of the rink.

Special Teams

Team USA scored on its first power play and finished the game 1-for-3. The team also killed the lone penalty it took. 

Shea Weber saved the day.

The defenseman's power-play goal late in the third period helped Canada to a surprisingly hard-fought 2-1 victory against Latvia on Wednesday, setting up a semifinal showdown with Team USA on Friday.

Canada outshot Latvia 57-15 yet needed nearly 55 minutes to break through for a second goal.

An injury to center John Tavares in the second period forced Mike Babcock to mix up his lines during the third period, so the final grades include what certain players did with new linemates.

Final analysis

Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Patrice Bergeron: There was a lot to like about this line. They combined for seven shots and had some dangerous shifts in the first period.

Jamie Benn-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry: They were a physical force and generated 12 shots between them.

Patrick Marleau-Jonathan Toews-Jeff Carter: This group put 13 shots on net. In what has been a common theme during the Olympics, the lines centered by Getzalf and Toews have been the most dangerous.

Patrick Sharp-John Tavares-Martin St. Louis/Rick Nash: This group became an afterthought in the third period with Tavares out of the game. Nash took some shifts with other lines but Sharp and St. Louis didn't see much action in the third.

Duncan Keith-Shea Weber: Weber scored the winner as this pairing dominated defensively.

Jay Bouwmeester-Alex Pietrangelo: They were the pairing that got caught on the ice for Latvia's goal.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic/Dan Hamhuis-Drew Doughty: Doughty had an assist on Weber's goal and continues to be the team's most consistent offensive threat.

Carey Price: He wasn't asked to do much but a made a few key saves in the third period with the game in the balance.

Special Teams: They were perfect on the PK and scored on the power play. In a game this close, special teams made the difference.