Olympic Men's Hockey Coverage: Russia Vs. Latvia, Finland Vs. Belarus and Sweden Vs. Germany Reviews

For Team USA vs. Team Switzerland from Tuesday afternoon click here.
For Team Canada vs. Team Norway from Tuesday night click here.

Russia vs. Latvia

The Russians and Swiss had the pleasure of playing in the late game on opening night. The game was quite different from what would be expected from a powerhouse Russian squad facing a team that many do not expect to rank.

The game opened with Ilya Kovalchuk flopping around the ice like a dead fish. It was an incredibly shameful display from a player with the talent of Kovalchuk. Especially in facing a considerably weaker team, Kovalchuk should not need to resort to such petty play.

Team Russia wasted no time in starting their offensive barrage. The KHL line of Danis Zaripov, Sergei Zinovjev and Alexei Morozov potted the first marker, showing that the best players don't necessarily play in the NHL. Morosov in particular (the capital of Team Russia) looked to be in fine form.

It took until the third goal of the game for a current NHL player to score. Alex Ovechkin (naturally) managed to put the score up 3-0 in the dying minute of the first period. Both the Americans and Canadians wasted their first period on feeling out lines and chemistry. The Russians, on the other hand, had a clear message: they want to win.

The final frame saw Latvia finally net one (two actually). Unlike the Norwegians and Swiss in their opening matchups, the Latvians held up surprisingly well for a team that had been counted out so early. Their likelihood of winning any medal is still incredibly low, but it shows potential that with a few more years Latvia might be able to develop into a true competitor.

Final Score: Russia 8, Latvia 2

Finland vs. Belarus

Finland looked very impressive in the early going. Where other countries had to feel out chemistry, the Finns looked largely like they had been playing together for years. Their power play was a great highlight of the opening frame. Olli Jokinen accepted a beautiful pass next to the net from Saku Koivu in the opening minutes that proved the Finns are a team to be reckoned with. Niklas Hagman finished off the period with a second power play goal for the Finnish squad to increase the score to 2-0.

With that first power play goal, Teemu Selanne earned the secondary assist that moved him into the position of all-time Olympic men's hockey scoring leader. This is quite a feat for any player, especially with the incredible caliber of play seen in the Olympic games in the NHL-era. This also marks the fifth winter games that Selanne has represented Finland. I was eight-years-old and living in Winnipeg when Teemu Selanne set the NHL rookie goal record with 76 and have to applaud such a great player on his accomplishments.

Belarus showed that they are sorely missing the presence of top six forwards Mikhail Grabovski and Andrei Kostitsyn. Their absence means that Sergei Kostitsyn is the top forward on the team while being no higher than a third liner in the NHL. Sergei did manage to send home a goal early in the second, but a second Niklas Hagman goal fifteen minutes later pretty much spelled the end for Belarus.

To add insult to injury, Valterri Filppula and Jarkko Ruutu (seriously, Jarkko Ruutu) scored in the third frame. Finland has serious medal aspirations and will tough to ignore as the tournament progresses.

Final Score: Finland 5, Belarus 1

Sweden vs. Germany

Sweden have been heavy favorites leading into the Vancouver Games. They are the defending champions and are a team heavy in players from the Detroit Red Wings who have gone to the Stanley Cup finals the last two seasons.

How is it that a seemingly weak German team managed to hold the Swedes to a mere two goals? German netminder Thomas Greiss, the backup for the San Jose Sharks, showed quite a bit of promise in a goaltender dual with former Vezina candidate Henrik Lundqvist. This game was by far the most evenly matched at this point in the games.

Despite an impressive scoring pedigree, it was defenseman Mattias Ohlund and Dallas Stars' forward Loui Eriksson who put home goals for the Swedes in a very hard fought battle.

Final Score: Sweden 2, Germany 0