What: Men’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game – Sweden vs.
Canada
When: Sunday night, 11.00pm AEDT
Last Meeting: Sweden def. Canada 5-2 (2002 Salt Lake City
group stage)
Betting: Sweden (+1.5) $1.36 Canada (-1.5) $2.85
Broadcaster: Network Ten
The eyes of
the hockey world are watching. The greatest hockey tournament in the world has
come down to two final combatants. In the Bolshoy Ice Dome, the greatest prize
in sport is on the line. Just sixty minutes – or more, if we’re particularly
lucky – separates either Sweden or Canada from both a gold medal and Olympic
immortality. A replay of the 1994 Lillehammer Gold Medal Game, for many players
on both teams it will be their second shot at a Gold medal, and perhaps their
last, if rumours about the lack of future NHL involvement in Olympic hockey
come to fruition.
Whilst
there will be no shortage of despair amongst the legions of fans in Russia
because Ovechkin and co aren’t there – indeed, the host nation didn’t even make
the semi-final stage, falling to Finland in something of a quarterfinal boil
over – this promises to be a memorable contest between two very evenly-matched
teams, backstopped by two of the best goaltenders in the world, Henrik
Lundqvist and Carey Price.
There are
similarities between these two teams. They both overcame great rivals in
riveting semi-final contests to be in the Gold medal playoff. The Swedes
recorded a 2-1 victory in a tight, grinding contest against giant-killing
Finland, thanks to a second-period tally from the hulking Swedish defenceman
Erik Karlsson, and the big-hitting Ottawa Senators star figures to be key
figure as the Swedes try for their second gold medal in three Olympics; they
triumphed behind Henrik Lundqvist in Torino back in 2006.
Surely the
Swedes are the first-ever top-ranked underdog. No one gave them much of a
chance after the group stage, for their injuries were – and are – piling up,
but their appearance in the Gold medal decider is proof positive how far you
can go with a good goaltender, solid defence and timely offence.
Yes, Henrik
Zetterberg and Henrik Sedin are missing, two players who are automatic
selections for the Swedes, but, others are stepping up, including New York
Rangers young gun Carl Hagelin (two goals in the quarter final) and veterans
like Nicklas Kronwall (he of the ‘Kronwalled’ hit) know how to get things done
in Olympic tournaments.
Daniel Sedin is still there, and though he is arguably
less potent without his twin brother alongside, there’s few players more
skilled in the world today. Even minus some of their big stars, the Swedes have
gotten this far with relative ease – perhaps the easiest path to a Gold Medal
Game since the NHL started sending players to the Olympics back in 1998 – and although
that might be their downfall this tournament, you would still be loath to take
them lightly when the ultimate triumph is so close.
The same
could be said about their opponents. Whilst it’s fair to say the Canadians
havent looked all that good for the most part, they found enough to beat the
Americans in the semi-final – and stifled a pretty good offensive unit at the
same time; Kane was quiet, Pavelski barely a factor, and even Phil Kessel was
limited – thanks to Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, whose timely redirect of a
shot-pass from Jay Bouwmeester skittered past Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan
Quick for the only marker of the game.
It will not
be any easier for the Canadians against Henrik Lundqvist and his disciplined
defensive corps, many of whom know what it takes to win a Gold medal. Perhaps
that is the greatest difference between the Swedes and the Americans. Of the
two goaltenders, you’d take Lundqvist over Price on either’s best day. That’s
not a slight on the Montreal Canadiens net-minder, merely a stick-tap to the
man known as King Henrik.
Though he
didn’t score against America – and hasn’t scored yet this tournament – Sidney
Crosby, universally recognised as the best player in the game, was a
threatening presence on just about every shift in the game, and surely he must
be poised for a break-out game on the biggest stage there is in hockey? Not
that it matters too much, for the Canadians are stacked offensively (and
defensively, for that matter) and so Crosby is not the be-all-end-all of attack
for the team in red and white.
If it’s not
Crosby, then it could be Patrice Bergeron, Patrick Marleau, Jeff Carter, Rick
Nash or semi-final hero Benn, or even defenseman Drew Doughty, whose habit of
scoring timely goals from the blue line this tournament has been oft-discussed.
Even rising Colorado Avalanche star Matt Duchene, replacing injured John Tavares,
has the ability to break a game open. The Canadians are stacked at every
position. Their scoring could come from
anywhere at a moment’s notice. The Swedes will be wary of that.
So, who
wins?
Well, My
heart says Sweden – I’m a giant New York Rangers fan, and I’d love to see Lundqvist
(and Hagelin) win another Gold, because I honestly don’t know when the Rangers
will next win a Stanley Cup – but my head says Canada all the way. They’ve
overcome bad games, beaten arguably their fiercest rival and seem more
battle-tested than the Swedes. This might be Carey Price’s big moment to shine.
Fearless
Prediction: Canada 3-2.
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