USA vs. Canada Women's Hockey: Live-Stream Schedule, Odds
The most important Olympic ice hockey matchup in pool play takes place on Wednesday night between the two dominant powers of the women's game.
The unusual format of the Olympic tournament has put the United States and Canada in the same group before they are split up in the elimination round to set up a potential collision course for the gold-medal game.
Both teams cruised through their first two Olympic contests with an eye on Wednesday night, which will serve as a litmus test for the gold-medal hopes of the North American rivals.
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If you want to know why the stakes are so high, Canada is the four-time defending Olympic champion, while the United States has won the last three IIHF Women's World Championships.
Date: Wednesday, February 14 (Event occurs on Thursday, February 15 in Pyeongchang, South Korea)
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Odds to Win Tournament (via OddsShark): United States (-120; Bet $120 to win $100); Canada (Even)
Canada Embracing Underdog Role
It's hard to believe the team entering Wednesday with a 22-game Olympic winning streak is seen as an underdog, but that's the situation Canada is in.
The team has experienced a good amount of roster turnover since the 2014 Sochi Games, which included head coach Laura Schuler stepping in behind the bench.
The Canadians came into the Olympics as a slight underdog to the United States because of the youth on their roster that is unproven in the Games.
Regardless of what experience they have, the Canadians are using the underdog tag as a motivating tactic, as team general manager Melody Davidson told Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star before the tournament began.
"We love being the underdog. We'll take that any day," she said.
Canada knocked off the Olympic Athletes from Russia in its opener before dispensing with bronze-medal contender Finland on Tuesday.
Meghan Agosta, who is one of the leaders of the squad, is happy with the way her team has played in Pyeongchang, South Korea, per the Canadian Press (h/t Yahoo Sport).
"We've started something really good here," she said. "And we're looking forward to continuing on this journey and this mission that we're on."
Just like their American counterparts, Canada is able to strike through a wide range of players, with Melodie Daoust its leading scorer through two games with three goals.
The United States will also have to keep an eye on Agosta and Marie-Philip Poulin, who has scored the game-winning goal in each of the last two gold-medal games.
United States Enjoying New Style of Play
The major adjustment made by the United States following Sochi was the adaptation to a new style of play instituted by head coach Robb Stauber.
The results have been good so far for the Americans, as they pulled out a 3-1 win over Finland in their opener before overpowering the Olympics Athletes from Russia 5-0 on Tuesday.
The possession-based style of play brought into the team by Stauber has earned solid reviews, as forward and assistant captain Brianna Decker told Matthew Futterman of the New York Times.
"We're playing more of a flow game," she said. "It makes it special and allows us to be hockey players."
While showing off their new brand on the Olympic ice, the Americans have played their part in creating tournament history.
Forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scored the fastest two goals in succession at the Olympics, as she found the back of the net twice in a six-second span against the Russians.
NBC Olympics provided us with a glance of both tallies, including an incredible fake at the net to set up the second goal:
Lamoureux-Davidson was one of four scorers in the victory over the Olympic Athletes from Russia, as Gigi Marvin, Hannah Brandt and Kacey Bellamy also found the back of the net.
Three other players put themselves on the scoresheet in the opener against Finland, as Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Dani Cameranesi and Kendall Coyne beat Finnish goalie Noora Raty.
With a plethora of scorers on the roster, the United States should be able to get a goal or two past the Canadian defense since its opponent won't be able to contain every attacker, but the same can be said about Canada's forwards.
Regardless of who steps into the spotlight on Wednesday, the gold-medal game preview is expected to be decided by the smallest of margins.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.
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