USA vs. Slovakia: Hockey Live-Stream Schedule, Odds
The United States men's hockey team got thrown into the worst possible situation for the start of the elimination round at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Following their 4-0 defeat to the Olympic Athletes from Russia at the end of pool play, the Americans drew the seventh seed and consequently a rematch with 10th-seeded Slovakia Monday night.
The Americans were pushed to the limit by Slovakia in their second game in Pyeongchang, South Korea before pulling out the victory by way of Ryan Donato's game-winning goal.
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Now the familiar foes are set to face off for the second time in four games with a showdown against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals on the line.
Date: Monday, February 19 (game takes place Tuesday in Pyeongchang)
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Odds to win tournament (per OddsShark): United States +900 (bet $100 to win $900), Slovakia +6,600
Americans Must Bounce Back from Loss to Olympic Athletes from Russia
With first place in Group B on the line, the United States stumbled to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Olympic Athletes from Russia and ended up third in the four-team group.
The United States finished level on points with Slovenia and Slovakia, taking third based off head-to-head results.
As the top third-placed team in pool play, the U.S. received the No. 7 seed and are thus a massive underdog to win the tournament.
The few bits of good news created by an American roster chock-full of college and AHL players came from the victory over Slovakia, but that result didn't create any momentum ahead of the clash with the Russians, who are one of the favorites to top the podium.
Donato and Jordan Greenway were the top performers in the group-stage showdown with Slovakia, as the former scored twice and the latter sent four shots in the direction of the Slovakian net.
Both players will be relied upon Monday night to create a bevy of scoring opportunities as the Americans attempt to get off to a fast start and put the loss to the Russians behind them.
Defensively, the Americans should focus on silencing Ladislav Nagy and Michal Cajkovsky, who combined for seven of Slovakia's 22 shots in the first meeting between the two sides.
Goalie Ryan Zapolski must have his best game of the tournament in every contest from here on out in order for the U.S. to make an unlikely surge into the medal round.
Despite conceding on four occasions to the Russians, United States head coach Tony Granato expressed his faith in Zapolski, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press:
On paper, the United States should advance to the quarterfinals, but as we have seen in this tournament, anything is possible.
Upset-Minded Slovakia in Search of Revenge
Slovakia captured the hockey world's attention with its victory over the Olympic Athletes from Russia, but that result ended up helping it little in terms of confidence and seeding for the elimination round.
Following the triumph over the Russians, Slovakia fell to the United States and to Slovenia in a shootout.
With another opportunity to shine in the competition because of the Olympic format, which gives all 12 teams an opportunity to qualify for the elimination round, the Slovaks should make the best of it and give the Americans a challenge for 60 minutes.
Slovakia differs from the other European nations in the tournament because it possesses a North American head coach in Craig Ramsay, who has combined well with general manager Miroslav Satan to build a hungry squad.
The talent on the Slovakian roster is comparable to that of the United States since it has one player from the KHL, with the rest coming from the Czech and Slovakian leagues.
Cajkovsky, who plays for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the KHL, is looking to cause confusion in the American defense from the point, while a group of talented attackers, led by Nagy and captain Tomas Surovy, swarms the net.
Each of Slovakia's six goals has been scored by a different player, as Milos Bubela, Marcel Hascak, Andrej Kudrna, Peter Ceresnak, Martin Bakos and Peter Olvecky have beaten an opposing goalkeeper.
That statistic is a perfect example of what Slovakia brings to the table. The Slovaks work well as a unit but don't boast a superstar difference-maker. That can be said about the U.S. as well.
An unlikely hero could emerge from anywhere Monday night for Slovakia, which will use its familiarity with the Americans and its nothing-to-lose mentality to play a loose game.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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