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Men's hockey gets serious on Friday. The semifinal round starts with what should be two outstanding games, including another showdown with old rivals Canada and the United States.
Recap of USA-Canada hockey semifinal
More Olympic hockey coverage
• All 12 Olympic rosters • Russians react poorly to hockey loss • The high anxiety of Canadian hockey fans • What winning gold means to Canada • The complete men's tournament schedule • How bigger ice impacts the game • Miracle Put On Ice: The 1984 U.S. team
The first game starts at 7 a.m. ET, when Sweden take on Finland live on NBCSN. The Finns got here by placing second in their group and crushing Russia's medal dreams in the quarterfinals, defeating the home nation 3-1. They took the bronze medal in Vancouver and are looking to score bigger this time around. Sweden cruised to an easy win in their group and had no problem in the quarterfinal, taking care of Slovenia, 5-0. They won the gold in Turin 2006 but had a disappointing run in Vancouver, where they finishing in fifth place.
That game is an appetizer to the one everyone is looking forward to, when the Canadians and Americans clash again. That game starts at noon and will be shown on NBCSN. The two teams had a memorable battle for the gold in Vancouver, with Canada coming out on top in an overtime win. The defending gold medalists didn't get here unscathed, though, struggling with Latvia in the quarterfinal before eking out a 2-1 win.
Team USA breezed through group play, including a memorable shootout win over Russia before dismantling the Czech Republic, 5-2, to advance to the semis. The Americans have their sights set on their first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, but first have to get past their not-so-friendly neighbors to the north.