The U.S. came out red-hot against the Finns, scoring six times in the first 12:46 of the first period to ice the game and secure a spot in Sunday’s gold medal game.
Ryan Miller was once again unbeatable, as he was taken out of the game midway through the third period so that Tim Thomas could get some Olympic playing time.
Patrick Kane scored twice, with his first goal sending starting Finnish goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff from the game at 10:08. He scored 2:28 later, and Paul Stastny scored 15 seconds later to crush the Finns’ hope before intermission.
The rest of the U.S. scoring, all in the first period, was taken care of by Ryan Malone (2:04), Zach Parise (6:22) and Erik Johnson (8:36). Malone took advantage of a major Kiprusoff mistake, as the goalie tried to clear a puck out of the zone to avoid a Phil Kessel breakaway. He succeeded in that endeavor, but in doing so he essentially handed Malone an empty-net goal. Finland would never recover.
Miller stopped all 18 shots he faced, and Thomas stopped six of seven.
Now, it’s time for hockey to step to the forefront of the sports world in America, which will likely be rooting for a U.S.-Canada rematch.
At worst, the U.S. players will go home wearing silver medals, but after the impressive five games the country has just seen from the team, the expecation will be gold.
Final score, 6-1 USA: This one’s history. United States wins and will play for the Olympic gold medal on Sunday afternoon.
Third period, 3:17, 6-1 USA: The Canadian fans are obviously bummed that the Americans are going to win. Try to imagine the Yankees playing the Indians in the ALCS at Fenway Park. And winning. It’s kind of awkward.
Third period, 4:50, 6-1 USA: The Miettinen shot started off at ice level, and after hitting Johnson’s stick, it deflected up over Thomas’ shoulder.
Countdown is on for the gold medal game.
Third period, 5:14, 6-1 USA: The American shutout is over. Antti Miettinen tees one up from the faceoff circle on the man advantage, and it deflects off defenseman Jack Johnson. Thomas had zero chance to react to that one.
Third period, 6:22, 6-0 USA: Finnish power play on the way after an interference call on Erik Johnson.
Third period, 7:58, 6-0 USA: Math alert! Miller’s shutout streak stands at 112:38. Thomas has been good thus far, stopping a handful of Finnish attempts in his first action of the tournament.
Third period, 8:51, 6-0 USA: Trouble for the U.S., as Bobby Ryan takes a clearing attempt off the face. Ryan’s been a big, physical player for the U.S., but he’s holding a big bag of ice on his face on the bench right now. He looks pretty upset.
Third period, 11:31, 6-0 USA: Tim Thomas was just put into the game by Ron Wilson. That’s pretty awesome for Thomas, a 35-year-old netminder who never really made it in the United States until a couple of years ago with the Bruins.
Interesting side story: Thomas spent much of his career in Finland, so he might be just as famous there as he is in the U.S.
Third period, 11:31, 6-0 USA: Another American power play is on the way, as Sami Lepisto put a cross-check on the neck of Ryan Malone in the corner.
Third period, 12:02, 6-0 USA: Miller’s been tested fairly often this period. So far, so good, as he’s turned aside all five Finn shots this period.
Third period, 13:37, 6-0 USA: This weekend could be the first time in a very long time that hockey takes center stage in the United States. Since even before the NHL lockout, hockey has been placed on the back burner of the American sports mind.This weekend, it’s all U.S. hockey. If Canada makes it to the game, it’ll be that much bigger.
Third period, 15:37, 6-0 USA: Saku Koviu gets in a few whacks at Ryan Miller, but the netminder swallows up a loose puck.
Third period, 16:28, 6-0 USA: Finland is about halfway through a power play, after a Ryan Malone high-sticking penalty.
Third period, 17:20, 6-0 USA: Love hockey? Near British Columbia? Good news! You can purchase tickets to the gold medal game for just $4,750 each!
Third period, 19:35, 6-0 USA: Not a good day for Finnish goalies. Backstrom just got called for interference after moving Patrick Kane’s glove away from his crease. Didn’t seem like a necessary call, but, well, it’s 6-0, so I don’t think it’s going to sink Finland’s chances.
Second intermission, 6-0 USA: Gary Bettman appeared on NBC’s intermission show, and the NHL commissioner was noncommittal in his decision on allowing NHL players participating in the 2014 Olympics in Russia.
Why crush American hockey souls like that?
Why not say, “You know what? This is great. Anyone who loves hockey is having a blast right now. There is absolutely no chance that I’ll be responsible for holding NHL players out of the 2014 games. To do so would be a slap in the face to everyone who loves hockey.”
Saying that would just make too much sense, so it looks like I’ve answered my own question.
End of second period, 6-0 USA:Â A quiet period concludes, but that’s just what the Americans needed.
Ryan Miller’s not allowed a goal in more than 103 minutes, and he’s stopped 11 shots through two periods in this one.
If I’m Canada or Slovakia, and I’m watching this game, I’m already trying to figure out how to slow down Patrick Kane, who’s looked like a man among boys through 40 minutes (which is, of course, funny, because he’s 21 years old). Those teams are probably more focused on each other at this point, though.
Still, the U.S. probably would like to score a goal or two in the third period, just so no negative habits develop heading into Sunday’s gold medal game. If the Americans let their foot off the gas pedal for two full periods, it might be hard to gear it back up on Sunday.
Second period, 1:24, 6-0 USA: Jarkko Immonen’s bomb from the point rings iron. Shutout streak. Alive (but now somewhat dependent on the post).
Second period, 2:25, 6-0 USA: Toni Lydman unleashed a bomb from the slot, but Miller turned it away with his right leg. His shutout streak lives on.
Second period, 3:49, 6-0 USA: The fans just tried to get a wave going. As it turns out, an American blowout is not an exciting afternoon for 17,000 Canadians.
Second period, 4:30, 6-0 USA: Not much action lately, as the anti-American jeering in the crowd has faded out completely.
Second period, 6:42, 6-0 USA: Jarkko Ruutu is still about four minutes away from being allowed to play again. No matter who you’re rooting for, you have to be happy with that misconduct penalty. There’s no room in such a big game for anyone getting hurt unnecessarily.
Second period, 9:21, 6-0 USA: With the game slowing down a bit, let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
“If I’m not going to start for sure, I think I’m going to take that time off and rest.”
Those were the words of Miikka Kirprusoff on Nov. 24. For a while, Kiprusoff lived up to the high standard he set for himself. In 10 minutes this afternoon, he became Finland’s goat.
Second period, 10:08, 6-0 USA: The Americans have a fairly laid-back power play, with Patrick Kane holding the puck along the wall for the majority of the two minutes. He got a decent setup but couldn’t get much on a shot, and the power play is over.
Second period, 12:08, 6-0 USA: Ruutu was given a 10-minute misconduct penalty on top of a two-minute roughing penalty.
Second period, 12:08, 6-0 USA: The Finns are pulling some borderline stuff right now. Jarkko Ruutu doesn’t exactly make an effort to avoid skating into Ryan Miller, and in the ensuing scrum, Olli Jokinen takes a whack at Patrick Kane’s foot.
This simply can’t happen.
Second period, 14:26, 6-0 USA: Check that, it’s 87 minutes, 43 seconds. Typo. My math isn’t that bad.
Second period, 14:26, 6-0 USA: Doing quick math on the fly is always dangerous, so bear with me, but my quick, unofficial math says that Miller hasn’t allowed a goal in … 67 minutes and 43 seconds. That was when Sidney Crosby cut the U.S. lead to one on Sunday night.
Second period, 17:52, 6-0 USA: Tim Gleason just took a shot up high and fell to the ice. The shot looked like it might have caught him in the ribcage or the arm. After a few seconds of showing pain, he looks to be OK (easy for me to say).
Second period, 18:47, 6-0 USA: The Finns open up with a pretty effective power play. Teemu Selanne couldn’t bury a bounding puck at the doorstep though.
Start of second period, 6-0 USA: For the record, the U.S. took 13 shots in the first period. And scored on six of them.
Now, the Americans have to keep up the pace and avoid injury. It’s easy to forget with a 6-0 lead, but this team has only been together for 10 days. There’s still plenty of work to get done on the ice, especially with the biggest game of the Americans’ lives looming in less than 48 hours.
First intermission, 6-0 USA: I’m not going to say anything that may cause a jinx or anything like that, but if you’re an American hockey fan, you might want to clear up your schedule on Sunday afternoon. That’s all I’m saying.
End of first period, 6-0 USA: Here’s a breakdown of the scoring (try to keep up):
1. Ryan Malone — 2:04, unassisted
2. Zach Parise — 6:22 (power play), Paul Stastny, Brian Rafalski assists
3. Erik Johnson — 8:36 (power play), Joe Pavelski, Malone assists
4. Patrick Kane — 10:08, unassisted
5. Kane — 12:31, Rafalski assist
6. Stastny — 12:46, Jamie Langenbrunner, Parise assists
End of first period, 6-0 USA: In the last game the U.S. played, the biggest story was the opponents’ goaltender. The same can be said for this game, though for very, very (very, very, very) different reasons.
Miikka Kiprusoff was only slightly better than you or I, stopping just three out of seven shots and absolutely burying his team in just 10:08 on the ice.
First period, 6-0 USA, 11.8: Brian Rafalski gets called for a penalty, called when he tried to lay a hit on Valterri Filppula.
First period, 6-0 USA, 43.5: A bouncing puck finds Olli Jokinen, standing about eight feet from Ryan Miller. Jokinen’s shot hits Miller’s bread basket, and the U.S. is that much closer to heading to the dressing room with a six-goal lead.
First period, 6-0 USA, 2:08: Finland just had a golden opportunity, but the U.S. is still working hard. Bobby Ryan broke up a feed in the slot and sent the puck safely out of the U.S. zone.
Ron Wilson has his team backchecking while leading 6-0. Important.
First period, 6-0 USA, 2:55: Miikka Kiprusoff was arguably the best goaltender in this tournament 30 minutes ago. It’s still hard to comprehend what’s just happened.
First period, 6-0 USA, 4:17: The Finns show some fight, getting some pressure on Ryan Miller, but they can’t get on the board.
First period, 6-0 USA, 5:05: The last two goals came against Niklas Backstrom, by the way. I’d have written that earlier if the Americans stopped scoring for a moment.
First period, 6-0 USA, 7:14: The U.S. scores again. This is getting out of hand. Paul Stastny scores, and Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner pick up assists.
First period, 5-0 USA, 7:29: Patrick Kane did the honors this time, netting his second goal of the game.
First period, 5-0 USA, 7:29: Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The United States has scored a goal.
This is a complete nightmare for Finland.
First period, 4-0 USA, 8:51: Yes, it’s early, but let’s try to take a quick look at the implications of what’s happened so far.
For the fans, everybody is spared the drama that the U.S. had to endure against Switzerland.
On an even less quantifiable level, the U.S. looks like, well, Canada. In just 10 minutes, the Americans have made a statement. That statement? “We’re dangerous.”
First period, 4-0 USA, 9:52: Patrick Kane just put the U.S. up 4-0, and Miikka Kiprusoff literally just took himself out of the game.
After giving up a rebound on a Patrick Kane shot, No. 88 found the loose puck and backhanded it past an out-of-position Kiprusoff.
Immediately after the goal, Kiprusoff skated straight to the bench and took himself out of the game. This is the most improbable of an opening 10 minutes as there possibly could have been.
First period, 3-0 USA, 11:24: Chants of “U-S-A” fill a building that has been thin on American hockey fans this week. Erik Johnson scored most recently, muscling a writster from the faceoff dot over the shoulder of Kiprusoff.
First period, 3-0 USA, 11:24: 3-0 USA. This is unbelievable.
First period, 2-0 USA, 12:58: The U.S. heads on another power play, this time thanks to a boarding call on Toni Lydman.
First period, 2-0 USA, 13:00: Parise’s goal was the result of great puck movement from the blue line all the way to the net on the power play. Paul Stastny stayed with a loose puck near the right post and hit Parise on the other side of the net. The 25-year-old from Minneapolis banged home the puck off the crossbar and the post and just barely into the net.
First period, 2-0 USA, 13:36: Zach Parise scores once again and the Americans grab a 2-0 lead.
First period, 1-0 USA, 14:00: Janne Niskala gets called for interference to give the U.S. a power play. Niskala interfered with Dustin Brown as Kiprusoff again handled the puck outside of the crease.
First period, 1-0 USA, 14:19: Turns out it wasn’t an icing. Complaint rescinded.
First period, 1-0 USA, 14:19: This is my first complaint regarding the no-touch icing rule of the afternoon. Will it be the last?
First period, 1-0 USA, 15:30: The Kessel-Pavelski-Malone line is flying all over the ice, just as it did against Norway. That’s nothing but great news for the U.S.
First period, 1-0 USA, 17:56: Wow. Miikka Kiprusoff just made a major mistake, giving the Americans an easy early lead.
Kirpusoff skated to the center of the faceoff circles to prevent a streaking Phil Kessel from getting a breakaway, but the goalie’s clearing attempt when straight to Ryan Malone at the blue line. Malone deposited the puck into the gaping net to score the easiest goal he’ll ever score.
First period, 18:15: Finland just possessed the puck in the U.S. zone for a full minute, but didn’t get a shot on net.
First period, 19:23: The game is under way. Brian Rafalski just wristed a shot on net from the blue line. No sweat for Miikka Kiprusoff.
3:05 p.m.: We’re just minutes away from the biggest U.S. hockey game in about eight years.
1:10 p.m.: In case you didn’t stay up late the other night, you missed one heck of a performance from Finnish goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.
Before the Olympics, Kiprusoff made a big stink, saying he wouldn’t bother going if he weren’t guaranteed the No. 1 spot. He showed Wednesday night that he was more than worthy, stopping all 31 shots faced against the Czech Republic.
The Finns benefited from the rule that disallows players from skating after their helmet gets knocked off, as Pavel Kubina had to retreat to his lost helmet in the third. His absence freed up Niklas Hagman in front, and he tipped a shot past Tomas Vokoun (29 saves on 30 shots) with just 6:26 left in a previously scoreless game. Valterri Flippula later added an empty-net goal to seal the victory.
Both teams will obviously be wary of the hot goaltender this afternoon.
1:08 p.m.: Here’s a great quote from Ryan Miller, from philly.com, regarding his rapidly growing popularity:
“I’m trying to roll with it because I think it’s good for the game. People are interested. If they’re interested in me, then why not open up a little bit, because we might gain another young person who enjoys hockey, and we might grow our sport.”
11:27 a.m.: It’d be hard to overstate the excitement over hockey in the United States. Team USA will play in the semifinals Friday afternoon against Finland for the chance to play for gold.
After an ugly showing in the 2006 games, this year’s squad has more than made up for it, going 4-0 and beating Canada in the opening round. But none of that will matter when the U.S. faces a tough Finnish squad, which just won a huge game itself over the Czech Republic.
We’ll have everything covered throughout the day on the live blog, so check back for updates. Once the game starts, we’ll have all the action right here.
Check out the game preview on NESN.com.
