Olympic hockey is almost here. The first games are Wednesday at noon, but the U.S. won't play until Thursday morning.
Of all the Sabres players in Sochi, Ryan Miller is the obvious one to watch, especially if he gets the start.
Jhonas Enroth and Henrik Tallinder will represent Sweden, while Zemgus Girgensons will represent Latvia. Team USA won't face either of those two teams in the qualifiers, but it'll be interesting to see how Girgensons does. He's impressed me already, but we'll see what he can do in these couple of weeks. Latvia and Sweden both play tomorrow at the same time. Nolan will be behind the bench for Latvia.
While you're watching, make sure you know how it all works out in the standings. These qualifying games do matter.
The top four teams based on where they finish in the group and highest number of points in the preliminary round will receive byes into the quarterfinals and be considered the home team in that round.
Obviously, Russia, USA, Sweden and Canada are the biggest threats in my mind for the games in Sochi.
I'm not sure if USA will even win a medal this year, but they have strength in the goaltending position, which could be huge. If the defense can back them up, I think they have a good shot. There's so much pressure in these games and I'm thrilled for them to start.
How much Olympic hockey will you be watching over the next couple of weeks? Are you willing to wake up at early hours for games?
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»