Evgeny Nabokov has been sharp in net for Team Russia, while rookie Alexander Ovechkin has provided the scoring punch with five goals.

Hockey powers collide in Torino
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Feb. 23, 2006

TORINO, Italy -- The irresistible force meets the immovable object in the Olympic hockey semifinals as hard-charging Russia takes on undefeated Finland (3 p.m. ET, USA, CBC) in what should be a doozey.

The Finns flew under the radar into Torino, having been largely ignored after a series of injuries to some key NHL players seemed to place them in the role of preliminary round cannon fodder.

Instead, the Finns arrived in Torino, jelled faster than any other team in the tournament and ran the table in the preliminary round, going 5-0, scoring 19 goals while allowing two.

In the quarterfinals, the Finns ousted Team USA, 4-3.

The Russians stumbled in their opening game, falling to Slovakia, 5-3. But since that misstep, Team Russia has been on fire. It finished the preliminary round at 4-1 with 23 goals scored and only 11 allowed.

Their quarterfinal victory came in the form of a 2-0 victory over Team Canada that has the Russians bursting with confidence as they head into semifinal play.

"We will go forward, we will not stop," Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk said. "It is a big battle for us. Now, every game is a big win. We have only one goal -- to win gold."

But the Russians will go forward without Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Evgeni Malkin, who was suspended for the game against Finland after being assessed a match penalty for attempting to kick Canada's Vincent Lecavalier. The Finns may be without defenseman Sami Salo of the Canucks, who has a shoulder injury.

"It was a huge game for the quarterfinals and a huge win," Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk said of ousting Canada. "I just think we had more chances than them. It was all about the power play."

Boasting some of the top scorers in the NHL, the Russians are indeed deadly on offense. Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals' super rookie, is having a great Olympics too. In six games, the dynamic Ovechkin has five goals. Kovalchuk and Montreal Canadiens winger Alexei Kovalev each have four goals in six games, while Malkin has two goals and four assists. Datsyuk has been Russia's top playmaker with a goal and seven assists in six games.

"We just play together," Kovalchuk said of Russia's success. "We have so much energy, we just want to win. We haven't won anything in 10 years."

"Everybody in my country is jumping and drinking lots of vodka," the irrepressible Ovechkin crowed. "We did it and we beat a great team."

The Finns may be without defenseman Sami Salo of the Canucks, who has a shoulder injury.

Ovechkin's presence clearly has had an impact on the Russians, who have benefited from his tremendous speed and creativity.

"Our young players are very important," New York Rangers defenseman Darius Kasparaitis said. "Alexander Ovechkin was the difference (against Canada). When he scored that goal, he was full of joy."

The Russians haven't been half bad defensively either. San Jose Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov has done a great job. He has a 0.50 goals-against in five games and a .978 save percentage with three shutouts.

Having seen Finland excel, however, the Russian players know they can't get caught looking ahead.

"They are a very strong team," Alexei Yashin said. "It will be a great defensive game. We both have two great goalies, but it will not be the only key to the game. We have to play concentrated on our game with our forwards because we are an offensive team. We win with our forwards and we lose with our forwards."

"Finland is a very tough team," defenseman Sergei Zhukov said. "They play great defensively. It will be a game of patience again."

Anaheim's Teemu Selanne has been the Finns' top offensive threat. He has six goals and three assists in six games. Florida Panthers captain Olli Jokinen has scored five goals and assisted on another, while Dallas' Jere Lehtinen has scored three goals and assisted on five others. Montreal's Saku Koivu has scored two goals and seven assists.

"We have a good system, a great coach and great goaltending," Buffalo Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen said. "It gives me so much confidence as a defenseman and also for the whole team."

"We got (to the) semifinal," Colorado Avalanche forward Antti Laaksonen said. "But our goal is to win the tournament. We have to think just of (the) gold medal. We can get it."

"As a country, we are a double bronze medalist and we won silver once," Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Aki Berg said. "We can do something special here, something that has never happened in Finland and it would be very special."

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The last time the two met with an Olympic medal on the line was in the 1998 semifinals, where Russia triumphed, 7-4, on the way to the silver medal. The Finns edge Canada, 3-2, for the bronze. In 2002, the Finns fe'l to Canada in the quarterfinals, 2-1, while Russia earned a bronze medal with a 7-2 win over Belarus.