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Face-off fodder
(All final-round games count only for seeding purposes in advance of quarterfinal-round play.)
UNITED STATES VS. BELARUS
E Center
Monday, 11 a.m.
TV: NBC
SLAP SHOTS: The USA goes into this game not having lost a men's Olympic hockey game on its own soil — or ice, as the case may be — since Canada won 2-1 in overtime on Feb. 4, 1932, at Lake Placid. . . . Qualifier Belarus has allowed 14 goals in two final-round games — six to Russia on Friday, eight to Finland on Saturday. . . . The USA's only Olympic hockey game vs. Belarus was a 5-2 win in 1998 final-round play at Nagano.
RUSSIA VS. FINLAND
The Peaks Ice Arena
Monday, 1:30 p.m.
TV: NBC
SLAP SHOTS: This game features the 1998 silver and bronze medalists from Nagano, Russia and Finland, respectively. . . . Russian coach Slava Fetisov was pleased with his team's play in Saturday's late-ending 2-2 tie with the USA. "We played our Russian style of hockey," Fetisov said, "and it was very gratifying." . . . The Finns were blanked by the USA on Friday but scored eight goals in Saturday's win over Belarus.
CZECH REPUBLIC VS. CANADA
E Center
Monday, 4 p.m.
TV: CNBC
SLAP SHOTS: A loss 2-1 loss to Sweden on Sunday snapped the Czech Republic's three-game Olympic winning streak. . . . Czech goalie Dominik Hasek stopped all five shots he faced in a memorable Nagano semifinal shootout win over Canada — arguably one of the greatest hockey games ever played. . . . Canada won Sunday without injured captain Mario Lemieux; he's expected to play today.
GERMANY VS. SWEDEN
The Peaks Ice Arena
Monday, 7 p.m.
TV: CNBC
SLAP SHOTS: After failing to medal in Nagano, Sweden — the 1994 winner at Lillehammer — is looking for its second Olympic gold. . . . The Swedes are flying high after topping Friday's 5-2 win over Canada with Sunday's 2-1 victory over the defending Olympic-champion Czech Republic. . . . Germany's last Olympic meeting with Sweden was a 4-3 loss in the 1992 fifth-place game at Albertville.
— Tim Buckley
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February 18, 2002
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