Even before the Olympic men's hockey tournament, most people probably expectedTeam USAto make it to the semifinals.
However, despite being the reigning bronze medalists from the 2022 Beijing Games, Slovakia has been the surprise of the tournament.
They opened their slate with a statement 4-1 win over Finland, despite not having the same volume of household names that they did in the days of Zdeno Chara and Marián Gáborík.
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Still, they've been led by the insanely talented Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens — the MVP of the 2022Olympicsat just 17 years old — and have been backstopped by stellar play from Samuel Hlavaj who plays for the AHL's Iowa Wild.
So, while the US came in as the heavy favorites, there was every reason to take the Slovaks seriously.
It was clear that the Americans were aware of this because even before the puck dropped, Team USA agitator extraordinaire Matthew Tkachuk knew that one of the keys to the game was going to be making Slafkovsky's life miserable.
To Slafkovsky's credit, he didn't back down and took Tkachuk to the ice after the opening faceoff with a slew foot that the officials let slide.
In the early going, it wasallTeam USA. They hounded the Slovaks early, who were clearly gripping their sticks a bit tighter, leading to multiple turnovers in their own zone in just the first five minutes.
Just 4:19 into the game, US defenseman Zach Werenski spotted a streaking Dylan Larkin coming off the bench, hit him with a perfect feed, and the Red Wings captain got the US on the board first.
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