First place on the line: Canada faces USA tonight in Olympic women's hockey
One of the best rivalries in sports gets renewed tonight.
Canada plays the USA in women’s hockey with first place on the line. These two teams are head-and-shoulders better than the other countries in the competition, so this is likely a dress rehearsal for the gold medal game.
Both teams have matching 3-0 records, with Team Canada outscoring its opponents 29-3. The Americans have outscored teams 18-2.
It’s a quick turnaround for Canada, which played the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) under bizarre circumstances last night.
The top seven scorers in the Olympic tournament are Canadian, led by Natalie Spooner, who has 10 points, and Sarah Nurse with seven points. Sarah Fillier, a 21-year-old playing in her first Olympics, leads the tournament in goals, with five.
The game can be seen on CBC television at 11:10 pm ET/8:10 pm PT and can be streamed online for free.
The USA beat Canada for Olympic gold in 2018 and did the same in 1998. Canada won four straight gold medals from 2002 to 2014, beating the USA in the gold medal final on three occasions.
Canada won the IIHF Women’s World Championship last summer, stopping the USA’s streak of five straight world titles.
Games between these two teams always seem to be close. The USA won Olympic gold in a shootout in 2018, while Canada won in overtime in 2014. The last three World Championship finals between Canada and the United States have been decided in overtime.
Quarterfinal games in women’s hockey will be played February 10-12, with the semifinals to be played February 13-14.
The gold medal game is scheduled for February 16.