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Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur split time in Team Canada's first two games. Marty Turco could also see some time in net.
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A day for rest,
reflection, recuperation
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Feb. 17, 2006
TURINO, Italy - Assessment was the order of the day for the 12 teams taking part in the 2006 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament Friday.
With no games scheduled, teams used the time off for practices and meetings, preparing for the final three games of the preliminary round, which will tell the tale for many when it comes to making the jump to the medal round.
Here is a look at each team headed into the final three games of the preliminary round.
Group A
Team Canada -- Victories over Italy and Germany were expected for the Canadians in the first two outings in Torino. With a 2-0 record in place and the best team in the tournament, Canada will make the medal round unless there is a collapse of biblical proportions. Not very likely.
The talent level for the Canadians is awe inspiring. Coach Pat Quinn split the goaltending in the first two games to give Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo some work and its quite possible Marty Turco could get some work in against Switzerland.
Phil Coffey is NHL.com's editorial director. He has covered the NHL since 1981.
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Trying to defense Canada's forward line is a case of picking your poison. Team Canada runs so much talent over the boards the opposition never gets a breather. This team also appears to be on a mission, keeping its foot on the gas throughout.
"We feel pretty good," defenseman Adam Foote said. "We have a lot of depth at all positions."
Team Czech Republic -- The win over Germany was expected in the opener, the loss to the Swiss was a blow. Blame it on jetlag, lack of continuity, taking the opposition lightly or just plain bad luck, but the Czechs found out the hard way that running into a hot goalie can equalize talent in a hurry.
Colorado's David Aebischer was flat-out brilliant against the Czechs, who peppered him with shots to no avail. But the Czechs also were found lacking all over the ice.
"Offense, defense, power play, penalty killing, all weren't good," forward Martin Rucinsky said. Yes, aside from that, everything was great.
There will be no more talk about Dominik Hasek's availability in the coming days since he is out of the tournament, but goaltending won't be the issue for the Czechs. Nashville's Tomas Vokoun is perfectly capable of carrying this team.
Team Finland -- With a lot of their key players sidelined by injury, including goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, the Finns were pretty much written off heading to Torino. But they took care of business against the Italians and the Swiss and still have to play Germany, the Czechs and Canada.
Teemu Selanne is tied for the tournament scoring lead after two games with Slovakia's Marian Hossa. Selanne has four goals and an assist, while teammate Jere Lehtinen is second in scoring with a goal and three assists.
"This one was easy," Selanne said after the win over Italy. "But we're up against it in the next two games (Czechs and Canada) and it will be a good test to see where we are as a team. If we play at our very best, we can beat anybody."
Team Germany -- Washington Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig was terrific in a loss to the Czechs, but goaltending and strong defense isn't going to carry this team unless someone starts scoring.
The Germans play a very strong defensive game, often lining four players up along the blue line, a tactic that has proven effective to the extent that the Czechs' Jaromir Jagr joked "Only four!" when asked about the tactic.
The offensive zone is the tough area of the ice for the Germans, who are feeling the loss of Marco Sturm and Jochen Hecht to injury.
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Olaf Kolzig (above) and Thomas Greiss have played well in Germany's two losses.
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Team Switzerland -- What a contrast in the first two games. The Swiss looked like cannon fodder in a lopsided loss to the Finns in the opener and they looked terrific in the win over the Czechs. This team is sneaky fast and plays hard on every shift, a dangerous combination.
Staying out of the penalty box is key for the Swiss, a bad habit they barely survived against the Czechs. When they are on their game, as was the case against the Czechs, the Swiss are a lot of fun to watch.
Team Italy -- The Italians are up against it in this tournament, but the host team won't quit. Jason Muzzatti gives them quality goaltending and the players are excited about playing in the tournament. But those factors aren't going to be enough to advance against the teams in Group A.
Group B
Team Kazakhstan -- At 0-2, Kazakhstan is in a tough place. And with scoring problems -- only three goals in the first two games and 11 goals against -- the tournament isn't getting any easier. Toronto's Nik Antropov pointed out the big problem for Kazakhstan in this tournament is a lack of NHL-caliber players. Only Antropov and goaltender Vitaly Kolesnik, a Colorado Avalanche prospect, have any NHL experience.
Team Latvia -- The Latvians did themselves proud with the tie against the Americans and a 6-3 loss to unbeaten Slovakia. Like Kazakhstan, Latvia doesn't have a large NHL presence, with only former NHL goalie Arturs Irbe and defensemen Sandis Ozolinsh and Karlis Skrastins on the roster. But the Latvians have worked hard, have good speed and won't quit.
"We think one game at a time," said Skrastins, a Colorado Avalanche backliner. "Our next opponent will be Sweden. We have a day off and now time to regroup. Then we'll be ready for the next game. We know that we can win."
Team Russia -- After a disappointing loss to the Slovaks in the tournament opener, the Russians rallied in a huge way against Sweden, pounding the Finns to the tune of a 5-0 shutout.
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Alexander Ovechkin is just one of the fast and talented youngsters on Team Russia..
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The Russians are fast, talented, deep and have talent to burn with the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Kovalev on the roster. The defense is mobile and Evgeni Nabokov gives the team an excellent goaltender.
The Russian's remaining games are against Kazakhstan, Latvia and the United States.
"Every team has a chance to win, the Finns, the Swiss," said Kovalev, the Russian captain. "You never know what is going to happen. It doesn't make winning it more difficult, just more interesting."
Team Sweden -- The opening-game win over Kazakhstan was expected, but the match against Russia shouldn't have been the blowout it became. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was hung out to dry and Sweden appeared a step slow in all aspects of the game. Now toss in a lot of turnovers and you have the recipe for disaster against the Russians.
The remainder of the preliminary round doesn't get any easier for the Swedes with games against the U.S., Slovakia and Latvia.
"We have a day off and next game we need to play more as a team and take the puck closer to the net," Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.
Team Slovakia -- So far, a great tournament for the Slovaks, who may have the fastest team in the tournament. The opening win over Russia was a huge confidence boost and the Slovaks took care of business against Latvia to set themselves up beautifully for the rest of the preliminary round. The Slovaks play Team USA Saturday, Kazakhstan Sunday and Sweden Tuesday.
Team USA -- Still a work in progress, the Americans have the potential to make some noise here. The tie with Latvia was a disappointment to be sure, but the win over Kazakhstan was a marked improvement and also illustrated what the Americans have to improve upon to make it through the group to the next level.
The Americans bombarded Kazakhstan with shots and scoring chances, but came away with only four goals. Captain Chris Chelios complained that the Americans were trying to be too fancy with the puck. Expect improvements in that regard. Team USA has very good speed and has the personnel to play a smart game.
"We know we're going to be ready," Chelios said of the three tough games that remain for Team USA in the preliminary round. Saturday, Team USA plays 2-0 Slovakia. Sunday's game is against 1-1 Sweden and Tuesday comes the Russians, also 1-1.
"Every game is so crucial," Chelios continued. "Every game will be a big game for us. Tonight, we cleaned up a lot of things and we hope to get better. We know what to expect. We know we took too many penalties against Latvia. You can't do that with the skill levels of the teams in this tournament. We're aware of what we have to do."
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