The men's hockey tournament at the Olympics got off to a great start by Team Slovakia yesterday, as they pulled off an upset against Team Finland. It was disappointing to see the Finnish Mafia start their Olympic dreams with a loss. This morning, we were treated to a really good game between Team Canada and Team Czechia. I know Dallas Stars fans had their TV's turned to the game to watch Radek Faksa and Thomas Harley face off against one another.
Things got off to a slow start as both teams just couldn't crack the opposing goaltender. The dam finally broke at the end of the first period as Macklin Celebrini was able to redirect the puck past Lukáš Dostál. That's when the Maple Syrup started to flow as Canada's offense got going in the 5-0 win over the Czech Republic. Here are the four takeaways from today's game between Canada and the Czech Republic.
Team Canada vs. Team Czechia Recap: 4. Team Czechia knew how the game was going to end
It's no surprise that Team Czechia didn't have the firepower to stand up to Team Canada today. Radek Faksa and Team Czechia did all they could to compete against them, and that's all I think their country could have asked for. Canada has the deepest team at the Winter Olympics and will probably go on to win the gold medal unless Team USA pulls off an upset. Team Czechia can still make the quarterfinals, but will have to play perfectly in their remaining games to do so.
Team Canada vs. Team Czechia Recap: 3. Team Czechia killed off Team Canada's power play
Team Czechia deserves a gold medal for stopping the cheat code known as Canada's power play. If you look at all the skill and talent on Canada's power play, you would think they would be scoring automatic goals on their power play. However, Team Czechia was able to kill it off with the help of Radek Faksa and others. If there's anything that Team Czechia can celebrate from the game today, it's that they made Canada's power play look human.
Team Canada vs. Team Czechia Recap: 2. Jordan Binnington showed up for Canada
At least Thomas Harley didn't have to play 32 minutes of defense this morning. Team Canada's goaltender Jordan Binnington earned the shutout against Team Czechia. Binnington has been known to be iffy on the national stage, and he looked dialed in for the win this morning. Canada will be tough to crack if this version of Binnington shows up for the rest of the Olympics. Since Canada is so loaded offensively, they should give Binnington the next game off.
Team Canada vs. Team Czechia Recap: 1. Thomas Harley and Radek Faksa are still healthy
With all the checks flying along the boards today, Thomas Harley and Radek Faksa are still healthy and breathing. I know that's what's going to be on a lot of Stars fans' minds during the Olympics. The Stars would love all seven Olympians to come home in one piece as they gear up for the final part of the regular season. Having a healthy roster down the stretch is the biggest thing for the Stars. So far, there are no injuries on Team Finland, Canada, and Czechia.