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Finnish hockey fans who'd been looking forward to this semi-final men's Olympic hockey game vs. Team USA ever since Finland eliminated the Czech Republic Wednesday night had their day ruined in a hurry. Apparently, no one told the Finns, and specifically goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, that this was a single elimination game with a berth in the gold medal game on the line.

The Finns were absolutely brutal right out of the gate, and after Miikka Kiprusoff gave up an early goal to Ryan Malone after a failed attempt to play the puck that ended up on the rugged winger's stick, the Finns just seemed to fall apart. The Malone goal was quickly followed up by back to back powerplay goals by Zach Parise and Erik Johnson, prompting a timeout by the Finns to try and settle things down.

The timeout, as it turned out, had absolutely no effect on the beleaguered Finns, and less than 2 minutes later they went down 4-0 on a goal by Patrick Kane. The 4th goal was the final straw for Miikka Kiprusoff, who seemed to pull himself out of the net before his coach could give him the official hook.

Minnesota Wild star goaltender Niklas Backstrom entered the game in relief of Kiprusoff, but didn't fare any better, allowing 2 goals 15 seconds apart to Patrick Kane and Paul Stastny. Less than 13 minutes into the Olympic semi-final hockey game the Finns found themselves facing a mind-boggling 6-0 deficit, and knew their Olympic gold medal dreams were already done.

It wasn't until the game was firmly out of reach that the Finns finally seemed to settle down and play their game. Of course, by then, it was too late. Veteran stars like Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu who almost certainly won't get another shot at gold, were forced to play for pride alone. They managed to stem the tide, and kept the situation from getting any worse, and though it may seem like wasted effort to some, it showed their character, and their dedication to the country. With an eye on the bronze medal game against the loser of tonight's Team Canada / Slovakia game the Finns did their best to build some momentum, and restore some measure of their shattered confidence.

Now, lost in the meltdown by the Finns was the incredible performance by the Americans. They knew they could not take the Finnish team lightly and came out firing on all cylinders. Obviously, never in their wildest imagination could the Americans have dreamed of having a 6-0 lead before the 13 minute mark of the first period, but they showed their incredible talent, commitment, and will to win, and were rewarded for it.

Ryan Miller, who in all likelihood will be named the tournament's top goalie, didn't have to be as spectacular as he usually does in order to post the win, but when the Finns managed to pressure him he turned away every puck that came his way, , snuffing out any distant hope of a Finnish comeback before deferring to back-up Tim Thomas.

Now, Team USA has to wait anxiously for tonight's other semi-final game to see whether or not they will face their nemesis from Canada, whom they beat last Sunday in arguably the best game of the round robin portion of the tournament, or Slovakia, who are playing relaxed and confident, and have already beaten both Russia and Sweden during their impressive Olympic run.

Regardless of which of these teams they face the Americans have given their fans and themselves plenty of confidence with their victory today, and that confidence will serve them well in the gold medal game this Sunday.

Tonight's game featuring Team Canada vs. Slovakia might not be a match-up anyone would have predicted coming into the 2010 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament, but with a berth into the gold medal game on the line you can basically throw predictions out the window. Tonight it will come down to which team wants it more and which team executes better. Anything can happen in a single elimination game. A hot goaltender, a bad bounce, or an untimely penalty - any of these, or a slew of other, factors can ultimately determine which team comes out on top at the end of 60 minutes.

Neither team can claim an edge in momentum. Canada is coming in on a high after destroying Russia 7-3 in the quarter-finals. However, Slovakia is just as pumped after eking out a 4-3 win in the quarters over defending Olympic gold medalist Sweden.

Obviously Team Canada has the advantage of team depth over Slovakia. Every player on their roster is a bona fide NHL star, and even young players like Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and Jonathan Toews have been showing beyond a doubt they belong on this biggest of hockey stages.

However, Slovakia has plenty of game-breaking NHL stars of their own, and Canada will have to deal with the likes of Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara and a rejuvenated Pavol Demitra. In net, a position that has always been an Achilles heel for the Slovaks, they finally have a star-caliber goaltender. Jaroslav Halak has been a huge reason the Montreal Canadiens remain in the playoff hunt in the NHL's Eastern Conference, and he has continued his hot play here at the Olympics.

Slovakia has also enjoyed some great team chemistry during this tournament, something more highly touted teams like Russia and the <Czech Republic were unable to find before they were bounced prematurely from the tournament.

Canada, for their part have finally seemed to find some chemistry of their own, with looking fantastic on a line with Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews. Gritty but gifted playmaker Ryan Getzlaf finally busted out in the quarterfinal game against the Russians, as Brenden Morrow joined he and Anaheim Ducks teammate Corey Perry. Together the trio was absolutely dominant, scoring 4 of Canada's 7 goals and punishing their opposition physically the entire night.

On the top line look for Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, and Eric Staal to do some damage tonight. Though they were relatively quiet against the Russians there is far too much talent there to remain silent for long.

Though he is known as a meticulous tweaker Mike Babcock seems to have finally found his line combinations, and look for these three lines, along with the San Jose Sharks trio of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to stay together from here on out. For those feeling sorry for Canada's 13th forward, Patrice Bergeron save your sympathy. Canada's Swiss army knife certainly won't be tied to the bench. He'll see plenty of spot duty taking key face-offs and killing penalties.

So who will win tonight's game between Canada and Slovakia? Sorry Slovakia fans - your team has enjoyed a great run - but the ride comes to an abrupt end tonight. Canada is simply too deep, too talented, too determined, and have a huge home ice advantage. You might have caught them napping early in the tournament, but they are rolling now, and nothing is going to get in their way of a berth into the gold medal game this Sunday. Barring a miracle by the Finns, who currently trail the Americans 6-0 early in the second period of their semi-final, that game will be a highly anticipated rematch between Team Canada and Team USA. Canada certainly doesn't need any extra motivation, but you know should the Americans win they the Canadian players will be highly motivated to get another shot at the team that beat them last Sunday.

Well, it isn't the way many old time hockey fans would have pictured it - Canada and Russia won't be battling for the Olympic gold medal when they take to the ice tomorrow night at 4:30 PST in Vancouver - but it will still be a game for the ages, and like they did for the Canada vs USA game Sunday fans across the nation will be glued to their TV sets to watch this battle of hockey titans.

After disappointing results in the round robin portion of the Olympic men's hockey tournament that saw them eke out a shootout win over Switzerland and lose in regulation time to Team USA, Canada was forced to take the long road to Olympic glory. That road began tonight against Germany, and though the match-up on paper was lopsided in Canada's favor, Canadian fans were understandably nervous after the nail-biter against Switzerland early in the tournament.

Canada laid those fears to rest, proving beyond a doubt that they had learned from their mistake of not taking their supposedly weaker opponent seriously. From the initial puck drop they were focused, they were determined, and they were hungry. Most importantly, when they had golden chances to score they capitalized on them against San Jose Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss, something they failed to do against Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller.

Mike Babcock again switched up the lines, still trying to find a good combination with Sidney Crosby. Tonight Jarome Iginla was back on the wing with Crosby, while Rick Nash was off in favor of Eric Staal. Nash moved onto a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and looked motivated to score all night, driving the net hard, creating chances and even drawing a penalty shot.

Iginla seemed fired up to be back on the Crosby line, and he potted two more goals to take over the team lead with 5. Shea Weber finally got the first goal by a Team Canada defenseman, though it nearly went unnoticed after Weber blasted the puck so hard it actually went right through the net. It wasn't until a stoppage in play that the goal was finally discovered on video replay.

The Canadians continued to pour on the offensive pressure and Thomas Greiss had to make several nice saves to keep the score in single digits. By the time the dust settled the final score was Canada 8, Germany 2.

Mike Babcock's line juggling aside the big change for Team Canada came in goal. Martin Brodeur, who had started the previous two games for Canada was relegated to a backup role, giving way to local star Roberto Luongo. Vancouver fans obviously approved the switch and a chorus of "Loos" could be heard every time Luongo touched the puck. Luongo looked focused and confident between the pipes, and the two goals that beat him were certainly not his fault - particularly the last goal which came on a 2 on 0 late in the third period. Luongo stopped the initial shot, but was helpless to stop the rebound as it was bunted in off the shaft of the trailing player's stick.

So, with Germany disposed of, their offense starting to click, and Luongo looking like a lock to start the game tomorrow the Canadians must swiftly adjust their sights on to the powerful Russian squad. Obviously the key to victory over the Russians will be finding a way to shut down their powerful offense. With a squad full of snipers like Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Evgeni Malkin just to name a few, Roberto Luongo and Canada's 7 defensemen will have their hands full keeping goals out of the Canadian cage.

Russia has followed a similar track to Canada, starting out slow before finally finding some chemistry against the Czech Republic. Malkin moved over to center a line with Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, and the line was a dominant force against the Czechs - just ask Jaromir Jagr. Limiting opportunities for those 3 superstars will be easier said than done, but is absolutely necessary if Canada is to pull out a victory in the quarterfinals.

Expecting Luongo to pitch a shutout against this explosive squad is unrealistic to say the least, so Canada is going to have to build on the offensive momentum they found in the Germany game. Sidney Crosby's line will obviously be key, but they will need more from Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and continued improvement by Rick Nash and Eric Staal if they want to outscore the Russians.

Scoring goals should be less of a problem against the Russians than it was against Team USA. Evgeny Nabokov is a great goaltender, but not on par with Ryan Miller, and he has a history of being very average in big games. Just look at the San Jose Sharks playoff record compared to their regular season record over the past 5 years for evidence of that. If Nabby can't elevate his game Canada's forwards may feast on him, and a Russian defense that is pretty porous beyond their top three.

Whatever the outcome, you can bet this game will be one of the highlights of the entire Olympics, and will rival the Canada/USA game in intensity and fan interest. It is just a shame it had to come in the quarter-finals as when the final whistle blows tomorrow night one of these two great hockey nations will have to clean out their lockers far too early.