Welcome to the third of a regular feature throughout the Olympic break, an open thread to discuss all that is going on in the sport of hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. (Note: Now, I make these the night before, scheduled to appear at 10 AM. So if you don't see any updates for the late games, that's why. Please bring it up in the comments if you'd like.)
Just so you know, the Devils are stepping up online for additional coverage. The official site has a hub for the Olympics; complete with a schedule for both tournaments. The team site also has a blog written by team correspondent Scott Modrzynski called The Devil is in the Details. All posts are listed on the hub; just scroll down past the players and you'll see it on the side. Of course, the team's official Twitter feed (@NHLDevils) and Facebook page will have updates too.
Last night, Canada pretty much sewn up another trip to the medal playoffs with a 10-1 win over Switzerland. Sweden and Slovakia are pretty much fighting for second-place in Group A. Today, Group B action continues in the Women's Ice Hockey tournament; the United States will play Russia and Finland will play China.
Today is the first day of the Men's Ice Hockey tournament. All the Devils not named Patrik Elias will play. Actually, Martin Brodeur won't either unless Roberto Luongo gets shelled by Norway. If that happens, start laughing. Michael Russo's twitter had some info on the lines for the Devils that I'll include with the games below. Thanks to user C.J.Richey121 for the heads up.
For the United States Men's team, the forwards need to get into sync and fast. With Ryan Miller going into the Olympics with some poor results and the defense already weakened and featuring a certain Jack Johnson who never should have been initially named to the roster, it's imperative that the offense gets productive and fast. Switzerland should provide a good tune-up. Look for Zach Parise in particular, he rides into this tournament with a 3 game goal streak. A homer pick, sure, but he will be an important part of this team. Look for him around the slot.
Special Rule: Do not use these posts to complain about how no one cares about Women's or Men's Ice Hockey. This isn't the place for that. Violators will be banned until March 1 assuming no other rules were broken.
Please use this post will be used to collect for all your comments, analysis, and thoughts about today's hockey games in Women's and Men's Ice Hockey games. Not the other Olympic sports, just today's hockey games here.
February 16, 2010 Schedule (Thanks to Steve for the TV listings, but check your local listings if you're not American)
Women's Ice Hockey
5:30 PM EST/2:30 PM PST - Group B: United States vs. Russian Federation (MSNBC)
Final Score: United States 13 - Russia 0 Official Boxscore - It was the Jenny Potter Show (3 G, 1 A, 6 SOG, 18:22 with special guest Natalie Darwitz (2 G, 3 A, 5 SOG, 20:34)
10:00 PM EST/7:00 PM PST - Group B: Finland vs. China (CNBC)
Men's Ice Hockey
3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST - Group A: United States vs. Switzerland (USA) Per Russo's Twitter: Parise-Statsny-Kane, Langenbrunner-Kesler-Brown. I guess Jamie Langenbrunner can be on the off-wing?
Final Score: United States 3 - Switzerland 1 Official Boxscore - The take by SBN's Brandon Worley is on point: good result, but the Americans need to improve in some areas.
7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST - Group A: Canada vs. Norway (CNBC) - Per Russo's Twitter, Luongo's starting this one.
Final Score: Canada 8 - Norway 0 Official Boxscore - Yep. This didn't surprise anyone. Every line on Canada got at least one goal. But what was surprising was that Norway held Canada scoreless after the first period.
12:00 AM EST/9:00 PM PST - Group B: Russia vs. Latvia (CNBC) - Per Russo's Twitter, the second line is Kovalchuk-Malkin-Afinogenov. Yes, that's Russia's second line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin together.
Want to watch the games online and legally? NBC has them. Thanks to user C.J.Richey121 for bringing this up.