Men’s Semifinal Hockey Preview: United States vs. Canada

The United States hockey team will be taking on Team Canada Friday morning for the rights to go to the gold medal game. The US is coming off of a 5-2 win over the Czech Republic while Canada hung on to defeat Latvia, 2-1. It is undoubtedly the most intriguing game of the Men’s Olympic Tournament thus far as two of the top teams in the world go head-to-head. The US will be looking to redeem themselves from a loss to Canada in the gold medal game in the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

What: Semifinal Round: United States vs. Canada
When: Friday, February 21st
Where: Bolshoy Ice Dome
Time: 12:00 PM ET, 10:00 PM MT
TV: NBC Sports Network

Projected Starting Lines:

United States:

Line 1: James van Riemsdyk (Maple Leafs) – Joe Pavelski (Sharks) – Phil Kessel (Maple Leafs).
Line 2: Zach Parise (Wild) – Ryan Kesler (Canucks) – Patrick Kane (Blackhawks)
Line 3: Dustin Brown (Kings) – David Backes (Blues) – Ryan Callahan(Rangers)
Line 4: Max Pacioretty (Habs) – Paul Stastny (Avalanche) – T.J. Oshie (Blues)

Defensive Pairings:

Pair 1: Ryan Suter (Wild) – Ryan McDonagh (Rangers)
Pair 2: Cam Fowler (Ducks) – Kevin Shattenkirk (Blues)
Pair 3: Brooks Orpik (Penguins) – Paul Martin (Penguins)

Goaltender:

Jonathan Quick (Kings)

Canada:

Line 1: Chris Kunitz (Penguins) – Sidney Crosby (Penguins) – Patrice Bergeron (Bruins)
Line 2: Jamie Benn (Stars) – Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks) – Corey Perry (Ducks)
Line 3: Patrick Marleau (Sharks) – Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks) – Jeff Carter (Kings)
Line 4: Patrick Sharp (Blackhawks) – Matt Duchene (Avalanche) – Rick Nash (Rangers)

Defensive Pairings:

Pair 1: Duncan Keith (Blackhawks) – Shea Weber (Predators)
Pair 2: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (Sharks) – Drew Doughty (Kings)
Pair 3: Jay Bouwmeester (Blues) – Alex Pietrangelo (Blues)

Goaltender:

Carey Price (Habs)

What To Watch For:

United States — Stay Hot Phil Kessel

Kessel has been on a tear for the United States club in the Sochi Olympics, recording five goals and three assists; he has also recorded a hat-trick in the tournament. Jonathan Quick will have to be on his toes in net as they will be facing their toughest competition by far in the tournament. Quick has stopped 67-of-72 shots in the tournaments which is a save percentage of 93.5%.

Canada — Offensive Scoring

Team Canada has been dependent on the defensive players scoring for them, one player in which is Drew Doughty. He has collected four goals in the tournament which is the most on Canada’s roster. Canada has a lot of goal scorers in their line-up as the list goes on. Players like Crosby, Toews, and Sharp are players to keep an eye out for Friday morning.