Czech Republic vs. USA: Hockey Live-Stream Schedule and Odds
The United States men's ice hockey team are three wins away from gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics and will face the Czech Republic on Wednesday in the quarter-final.
Team USA have been inconsistent at the Games so far, although they were in excellent form on Tuesday when they overcame Slovakia 5-1 in their playoff match. It was only the second win of the tournament for Tony Granato's squad.
By contrast, the Czech Republic have been impressive throughout the competition in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and head into this knockout fixture unbeaten.
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Below is a look at the key viewing details and odds for the quarter-final, as well as a preview of what to expect when the two teams meet at the Gangneung Hockey Centre.
Date: Wednesday, February 21
Time: 10:10 p.m. (ET, Tuesday), 3:10 a.m. (GMT)
Live Stream: NBC Sports App (U.S.), Eurosport Player (UK)
Outright Winner Odds
Olympic Athletes from Russia: 9-4
Canada: 11-4
Sweden: 4-1
Czech Republic: 9-1
United States: 9-1
Figures courtesy of OddsShark and accurate as of Tuesday, February 20.
Preview
The early displays from the USA in Pyeongchang didn't paint a picture of a team ready to challenge for gold.
While they were able to notch a win against Slovakia, their opener was a disappointing overtime loss to Slovenia, and their final group game saw them hammered 4-0 by the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
The United States were still able to get into the playoff bracket, and up against Slovakia again, they did finally find another gear. A 5-1 win was befitting of their dominance throughout the contest, as they took the game away from their opponents after a scoreless first period.
More consistency is vital if the USA are going to make a real run at a medal, and that's not been seen a lot so far. Ryan Donato, who has four goals at the Games, has developed into something of a talisman, though.
As relayed by Pro Hockey Talk's Sean Leahy, his brace against Slovakia saw Donato tie his father's haul of Olympic goals:
The 21-year-old has excelled so far and has regularly put himself in excellent positions to convert smart USA approach play. The Boston Bruins prospect is calm in possession and appears to breeze by opponents with ease.
Donato was well-supported against Slovakia, something that will be crucial if the United States are to overcome the Czechs. Troy Terry, in particular, was at the creative hub of the team, with three assists recorded in the win.
NHL's Dan Rosen praised the determination showcased by the two youngsters in the victory:
There's no doubt positive strides were made in the win in the playoffs, but the Czech Republic represent a much more challenging proposition.
They have been excellent so far in South Korea, with Michal Repik leading them in attack with three goals and an assist.
They also earned a shootout win over Canada in the preliminaries, topping Group A in the process.
As noted by Gracenote Olympics, overcoming the defending champions has not been easy in recent years:
Given the way they've played and the extra rest they will have enjoyed, the Czechs must be favourites, although if both sides do play to their best, there's little between them.
The United States will take some belief from their previous match, and in Donato and Terry, they boast a blossoming linkup. However, over the course of the hour, the Czech team will have a little too much quality for their quarter-final opponents.
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