The quarterfinal round of the men’s hockey tournament had pretty much everything in Sochi today. Big victories, surprising upsets and emerging stars. With two old rivalries set to be rekindled in the semifinals, pretty much anything can happen. The remaining Lightning players were in action today and the name on everyone’s lips is a bit surprising.
Canada vs. Latvia: Canada emerged with the 2-1 victory in this match up in a dominant contest, but it getting the W wasn’t as easy as many thought it would be. Lightning prospect Kristers Gudlevskis got the start in goal for Team Latvia. There wasn’t too much hope for the game given Canada’s star packed roster facing off against a goaltender who has yet to play a game in the NHL.
Kristers had other ideas and stonewalled Canada for almost the entire game. He faced 57 shots. That isn’t a typo. He faced 57 shots and turned aside 55 of them. An absolutely incredible performance that has the world talking. Carey Price said the young netminder had one of the best performances he’s ever seen. That’s definitely a way to make a name for yourself.
Gudlevskis had high praise for his teammates, but did contemplate his game in a conversation with the Olympic News Service:
“This is the highest level we are going to play,” he explained. “This is even a higher level than NHL and, if you can play here, you can play everywhere. It really means a lot for me.”
The Canadians pulled ahead on a patented Shea Weber blast from the point late in the third period and secured the win. Martin St. Louis was in the line up, but played a puzzling 4:51 of ice time. He had one shot on goal and 2 PIMs. It’s hard not to feel like some of the opinions that kept St. Louis off the roster from the start are impacting his playing time here: too small, too old, too slow. All are preposterous when it comes to the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner who proves himself every night with his NHL team. Canada goes on to play the United States at noon on Friday.
Czech Republic vs. USA: The Czechs ran into a red, white, and blue battering ram in their quarterfinal match. The US came out early and dominated nearly from start to finish in their 5-2 victory. Lightning forward Ondrej Palat was scratched from the lineup. Defenseman Radko Gudas saw 16:41 of ice time with one shot on goal and a -1 rating.
Finland: The Finns faced a hard challenge in their match against the Russian team. The Russians even started the scoring in the game but it was all Finland from there. They scored three unanswered goals, including the game winner by 43 year old Teemu Selanne. One of the keys to victory was Finland’s ability to shut down the Russian defense and attach relentlessly. The other key to the win was Tuukka Rask. The Bruins’ goalie stood tall in net, turning aside 37 of the 38 shots he faced.
Defenseman Sami Salo and his teammates go on to face their neighbor nation of Sweden in the semifinals on Friday. As contested as the USA/Canada game will be, this one could match it in intensity. There is a huge rivalry between these two Scandinavian countries who met in the gold medal match in Torino in 2006. The Swedes were victorious then, but the Finns have a different look these days. They have a deadly match of skill, physicality and defensive strength on their side.
Friday’s match-ups are going to be ones to watch, that’s for sure. Some Bolts move on, some come home, and some have just debuted on the world hockey stage. Sochi has had its issues when it comes to the Olympic games, but the excitement of their hockey tournaments is not one of them.
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