The gold medal game is upon us, and fittingly, Canada will face off against their US rivals in a battle of hockey’s elite. The US team, led by Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, and of course Ryan Miller, will look to grind out another victory over Team Canada, while the Canadians will seek to avenge a tough 5-3 loss to the Americans in the round-robin phase of the tournament.
The Toronto Star provides us with a couple interesting tidbits about potential trade talks leading up to the deadline:
- Ponikarovsky continues to be heavily linked to Pittsburgh. Previously, we learned from CBC’s Hotstove that one team had offered the Leafs a 2nd round draft pick along with a prospect, which clearly was not enough for Burke to bite. He is likely holding out for a more prominent prospect than the one that was initially offered.
- Several key Maple Leaf front office members and scouting staff watched the Marlies – Bears game at Ricoh on Wednesday night. With the Hershey Bears being the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, there is certainly speculation that there may be some serious trade talks happening between the two clubs. The Capitals are far and away the league’s highest scoring team, so they may be more interested in either a defensive forward or a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. However, there is also the possibility that the Leafs’ staff may have just taken advantage of the time off to evaluate which Marlies players could be included in trades or be potential NHL call-ups to fill out the roster after the deadline.
In the aftermath of a huge win over Russia, where Team Canada surprising outscored their rivals to the tune of 7-3, fans immediately – and naturally, I might add – began to eagerly anticipate the realistic possibility of a re-match versus the United States for the Gold Medal.
Only many seem to have overlooked one significant detail: a red-hot Slovakian team standing between Canada and the final game.
Fresh off last night’s 8-2 thumping of the Germans, Team Canada will look to translate that momentum into yet another strong performance as they prepare to face the Russians this evening (7:30 EST/4:30 PST on CTV).
True, the victory last night was over a German team which was not exactly expected to be a medal contender to begin with. However, a win is a win and last night’s performance should serve to help some of the bitterness and doubt stemming from Sunday’s loss to the United States subside.
As in all sports, momentum is key and Team Canada will certainly need all they can get against a typically strong Russian squad. The Russians are fast and skilled, but not overly physical; if the Canadians can get in a couple of momentum-setting hits from the outset, establishing control throughout the game will become a much easier task.
Per Darren Dreger (TSN):
“MRI determines Keith Aulie requires shoulder surgery. He’s done for the year.”
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Not expected to play with the Maple Leafs at any point this season, Aulie was set to receive big minutes down the stretch with the AHL Marlies as the NHL club evaluated his progress with an eye toward the future. Although the injury is an unfortunate development for the well-regarded blueline prospect, he is still considered to be at least another year away from being ready for full-time NHL duty. In that respect, the overall impact of the time missed will be minimal.
Canada shuffles their lines, turns to Roberto Luongo and looks to rub out Germany from medal contention. Should they win tonight, they will then play Russia, so no matter what hockey fans, you still get the see the battle of Canada and Russia.
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Seeming lost in all the hype and fervor over the Olympics was the recent return to action of one Chris Didomenico. A surprise selection for the 2009 World Junior Championships, Didomenico suffered a badly broken leg in the QMJHL Finals, an injury which had many questioning his ability to return.
As the updates came in, Didomenico continued to show excellent progress in his rehabilitation. His efforts were finally rewarded last Wednesday when, in his first game back with Drummondville of the QMJHL, he scored a goal and added three assists. As of this writing, Didomenico has recorded 2 goals and 4 assists in 3 games.
Breathe easy, Leafs’ fans. It looks as though “Dido” is back on track.
From Damien Cox: “This isn’t how the Maple Leafs hoped Mikhail Grabovski would be spending his Olympic break. The 26-year-old centre was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Saturday by Vancouver police and kept in jail overnight after allegedly being involved in a street altercation. Grabovski was apparently released to his parents at about 9 a.m. Saturday.”
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Canadians vs. Americans. Patrick Kane vs. Jonathan Toews. Ryan Miller vs. Martin Brodeur. The battle of North America. A game that will have the highest total viewers than any other game for probably years to come. If you are unable to watch this game at home, we have you covered on TheScore with the mobile liveblog. This is your pre-game predictions. Post your thoughts on what team will win, the final score, and the player who will prove most effective in the game.
Ever since the Leafs’ late-offseason acquisition of Phil Kessel, his performance has been (understandably) heavily-scrutinized in the face of the hefty amount of futures given up to secure the extremely talented winger.
Kessel’s season has, in some ways, mirrored that of his teammates, with periods of great productivity followed by periods of near-invisibility. However, considering a host of issues which seemingly stood in the way of a productive season, including significant shoulder surgery, causing him to miss out on training camp, and the lack of talent surrounding him, the Leafs’ young sniper has produced at a rate which, in the context of the aforementioned factors, is actually quite impressive.
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