Potential Canada-U.S. classic final would make NHL's day

Could be that this really will work out in the end.

For the NHL and commissioner Gary Bettman, that is. All it would take is one thing to make the difficult and increasingly less intriguing Olympic participation worthwhile for the league's decision makers.

A USA-Canada gold medal game.

That's not much to ask in return for shutting down the business at one of its busiest times, and it's a real possibility now with both teams are heading to the semifinals on a roll and as clear favorites. Team USA will put the tournament's only undefeated record on the line against Finland, while surging Canada gets Slovakia, which sets up a potential showdown that would be the ultimate attention-getter for the league.

First, the North American teams have to get there. Here's a look at the matchups:

USA vs. Finland

Team USA's road to the medal round had only one serious challenge, but it provided an important lesson heading into the semifinal game against Finland.

Hot goalies can be trouble.

The Americans probably knew that because Ryan Miller was the difference in their toughest win against Canada. But if the message was somehow missed, Team USA got a reminder from its skin-of-their-teeth win against Jonas Hiller and Switzerland in the quarterfinal. And Finland's Miikka Kiprusoff probably won't let them forget again.

A USA-Canada final would be a win-win for many, especially the NHL. (US Presswire)

Kiprusoff has been very good in these Olympics, arguably better than he has been for most of the season for Calgary. Kiprusoff has the best save percentage and has allowed only four goals in three starts. And he's coming off a shutout against the Czechs in the quarterfinals.

It's hard to imagine him playing any better than Hiller did against Team USA, but he may not have to. Unlike Switzerland, Finland has an NHL roster stocked with veterans along the blue line and quality finishers like Teemu Selanne, the Koivu brothers and Niklas Hagman up front. Switzerland didn't have anywhere near that caliber of talent, and that was apparent as Team USA outplayed the underdogs by a large margin in their quarterfinal. That said, the Swiss played a hard-working, gritty game, the kind that Finland does with better players. And because of Hiller, they weren't put away until Zach Parise's empty netter made it 2-0 in the final minute.

It was frustrating given the kind of attack generated throughout the game by Team USA, but if nothing else, the ability to create that kind of pressure is a good sign for an American team that has been improving with every outing.

Miller has been the key to Team USA's success, but the Americans have dominated the faceoff circle, played well in their own end and blocked a ton of shots, the little things that are often the difference in these kinds of tournaments.

But now Team USA players have to do a better job on their scoring chances. Their speed will make sure they get them, but they'll have to make good. Finland is a veteran team that works as hard as anyone and knows how to win close games.

This will be one of them.

Canada vs. Slovakia

Did Canada catch a break by getting Slovakia instead of the Swedes in the semifinals? That's possible because Sweden won gold in 2006 and handed Canada's 2002 gold medal team its only loss in Salt Lake.

In theory, getting the semifinal opponent it did should make Canada's path to the gold medal game a little smoother, but that doesn't mean the host team can get ahead of itself. The Slovaks might not look as dangerous as some others on paper, but they are no slouches. Slovakia has beaten Sweden and Russia in this tournament, and neither constituted a shocker by a team that came in to the Games seen by many as a dark horse for a medal.

Slovakia is similar to the other final four teams, with an NHL-dominated lineup that includes several stars. They have high end offensive threats in Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Pavol Demitra, several decent secondary scorers and a solid defense headed by Zdeno Chara. Many of the players have been together internationally in years past, and though Slovakia has never medaled at the Olympics, the goaltending it has gotten from Jaroslav Halak has been as effective as any in the tournament.

That means it has the potential to steal a one-game showdown -- if things break right. And they'll have to for Slovakia to pull off its second major upset in Vancouver.

The Slovaks sent Sweden home with four goals on only 14 shots against Henrik Lundqvist, which probably says more about the Swedish goalie's performance. But they allowed 29 shots and in essence were rescued by Halak and the good defense that has gotten them this far. That may not be enough against a Canadian team that is playing with confidence and starting to explode.

Team Canada had several chemistry issues going through the preliminary round, juggling lines and even goaltenders. But the pre-tournament favorite seems to have found the right combinations with Roberto Luongo in goal and four forward units filling roles the way they were envisioned.

The Canadians bounced back from a prelim loss to the U.S. by routing Germany in the qualification round, and then followed up by playing like "gorillas coming out of a cage," according to Team Russia goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Canada knocked arch rival Russia out of the tournament with a 7-3 embarrassment, its own game starting to peak in every respect.

That's not a good thing for Slovakia.