Hockey: The Semifinals
Well, I went 2-2 on my predictions, so its probably a good thing I don't live in Vegas. Nevertheless, the world's greatest hockey tournament continues to thrill with all sorts of great action and wonderful games. My thoughts on the semifinals:
Finland v. Russia
The Finns beat the Americans 4-3 in a game that had a crazy, fantastic finish as the U.S. finally started to play. But too many stupid penalties and the inability to finish odd-man rushes doomed the Americans (though the double minor for high sticking on Hatcher was maybe the worst call I've ever seen in a hockey game). Finland impresses me sooooo much. They have such a disciplined team concept and they are really playing well. Russia has fantastic offensive skills and are lights out when it comes to them being in open ice. This should be a good game. These are two countries who have a history of not liking each other, for good reason. I don't see the Russians getting many open ice opportunities against the Finnish system. I think Finland advances.
Prediction: Finland 3, Russia 1
Czech Republic v. Sweden
The Czechs rebounded well from their inconsistent early play and soundly beat the Slovaks, 3-1, which really surprised me. This team was the early favorite to win it all and they certainly have the talent to do so, with Jagr and his ilk having really potent skills. Sweden, though, has really been playing well, and their defensive system is quite outstanding. They thoroughly crushed the Swiss, which I expected, 6-2, but I didn't expect them to win quite as easily as they did. In playoffs, I always go with the better defensive team, and the Swedes have been really good on that side. I'm going to go with Sweden in a close one.
Prediction: Sweden 2, Czech Republic 1
Finland v. Russia
The Finns beat the Americans 4-3 in a game that had a crazy, fantastic finish as the U.S. finally started to play. But too many stupid penalties and the inability to finish odd-man rushes doomed the Americans (though the double minor for high sticking on Hatcher was maybe the worst call I've ever seen in a hockey game). Finland impresses me sooooo much. They have such a disciplined team concept and they are really playing well. Russia has fantastic offensive skills and are lights out when it comes to them being in open ice. This should be a good game. These are two countries who have a history of not liking each other, for good reason. I don't see the Russians getting many open ice opportunities against the Finnish system. I think Finland advances.
Prediction: Finland 3, Russia 1
Czech Republic v. Sweden
The Czechs rebounded well from their inconsistent early play and soundly beat the Slovaks, 3-1, which really surprised me. This team was the early favorite to win it all and they certainly have the talent to do so, with Jagr and his ilk having really potent skills. Sweden, though, has really been playing well, and their defensive system is quite outstanding. They thoroughly crushed the Swiss, which I expected, 6-2, but I didn't expect them to win quite as easily as they did. In playoffs, I always go with the better defensive team, and the Swedes have been really good on that side. I'm going to go with Sweden in a close one.
Prediction: Sweden 2, Czech Republic 1
posted by cc at
9:27 PM
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