Barring a miracle – and that is not an exaggeration – it will be Canada versus the United States in the womens hockey gold medal game Feb. Johnathan Hankins Jersey . 20 in Sochi. Why? Because they always meet in the final, right? Well, nearly always. Sweden somehow managed to make it into the gold medal game at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. But in the 19 Olympic and World Championship final games since womens hockey arrived on the international stage in 1999, it has been Canada against the United States 18 times. Canada begins by facing Switzerland on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in their first game of the tournament - watch it live on CBC TV and streaming at cbc.ca/olympics. The mere fact Canada has won the past three of four gold medals at the Olympics – losing only in Nagano in 1998 – would make them the favorites in the eyes of many. However, their victories in the last three Olympic Games really have nothing to do with this years tournament. More relevant is the fact the United States defeated Canada in the last four meetings of their seven-game pre-Olympic exhibition series. Canada is the defending Olympic champion, but the Americans have a little swagger. Dan Church knows that as well as anybody. Church resigned as coach of the Canadian womens Olympic team in December and was replaced by former Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen. Team USA is deep at every position. They also have scoring at every position – forward and defence – and they have a lot of speed. “Their young forwards especially are extremely quick,” Church said. “If you give them room in the neutral zone theyll always find a way to create. They are really gifted at getting the puck into the scoring area; even if its not a direct shot just getting it there so now your defenders and goaltender really have to be on top of things. They are always creating offence with their speed.” Canada will need to have a forward to force the Americans to one half of the ice surface and break off their speed and their ability to attack or counterattack. Scoring problems Even if its overall team speed doesnt match that of the United States, Canada traditionally can hold its own with any team in the world in terms of offence, and is better than most. That said, Canada has had some difficulty scoring, particularly against the United States, leading up to the Sochi Games. Rebecca Johnston, a scoring machine at Cornell for four seasons, has speed and skill and the ability to take it to the front of the net. The 25-year-old had a goal and six points in five games at the 2010 Olympics and will be expected to exceed those numbers this year. Jenn Wakefield, 24, has plenty of international experience, but is making her Olympic debut. She is another go-to forward for Canada. Of course there are also veterans Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette, all of whom can dominate a game. Wickenheiser in particular can be a dangerous scorer when she is shooting the puck. Hefford is strong around the net and Ouellette remains an offensive catalyst. As for Canadas young players, Natalie Spooner is a power forward with great hands and Megan Agosta-Marciano can be a world beater when shes playing at her best. Countering for Team USA will be Kelli Stack. She is a game-breaker and every time shes on the ice she can create for herself and her teammates. Stack has great vision. “She is an offensive threat every time she touches the puck,” Church said. “You always have to worry about her. She is the offensive catalyst for the team.” Amanda Kessel, the younger sister of Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil, is also a really strong player. Like her brother, she has speed to burn and plenty of offensive upside. She was the collegiate national player of the year with the University of Minnesota in 2013. Physically, Canada has an edge over the United States, but the Americans do not fear Canadas physical game - just as Canada believes it can overcome USAs speed. In the end, it could come down to goaltending. Canada believes its three goalies, Shannon Szabados, Charline Labonte and Genevieve Lacasse, could all backstop the team to a gold in Sochi. Szabados will be the starter and is looking for her second Olympic gold medal as a starter. Early in the season it seemed like Team USA was leaning toward Jessie Vetter getting the job as the starter, but down the stretch, Molly Schaus got more action. Schaus is better technically, but Vetter is very athletic. The starter will likely be the goalie the coaching staff feels is the hotter of the two entering the tournament. The bottom line for Canada is that it can win a fourth straight gold in Sochi, but reputation at this tournament means squat. Its not about what was; its about what is. Adam Vinatieri Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Tarell Basham Jersey . The Blue Jackets announced the injury through their official Twitter account Friday afternoon. Gaborik, 31, has scored five goals and six assists in 17 games with the Blue Jackets in 2013-14. http://www.coltsofficialstore.us/authentic-darryl-morris-colts-jersey/ . -- Valentin Zykov scored in overtime as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar rallied to a 3-2 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Sunday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action.SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. Thats exactly what they did best Sunday night against short-handed Sacramento. Ty Lawson scored 27 points and Wilson Chandler had 20 for the Nuggets, who used their fast-paced philosophy to beat the struggling Kings 125-117. Following an emotional home win over Indiana on Saturday and a late-night flight to Sacramento, the Nuggets played the up-tempo game that was encouraged for years by George Karl and has continued under rookie coach Brian Shaw. Denver shot nearly 52 per cent, made 10 3-pointers and bothered the Kings enough at the defensive end to force 16 turnovers — many of them contributing to Denvers 33 fast-break points. It was a season high allowed by the Kings, who have had trouble all season slowing down opponents. The Nuggets are 12-2 this season when scoring at least 110 points. "We come out and run and play with energy, thats our game," Lawson said. "If we dont do that, were not going to win many games." It was the second consecutive victory for the Nuggets, who went ahead late in the third quarter and never trailed again. Denver was coming off a 109-96 victory over the Pacers, who have the best record in the NBA. The Nuggets (22-21) now return home for games against Charlotte, Toronto, the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee. "Its the first time this year we have followed up a good win with another one," Shaw said. "If we take care of business at home we can really build some momentum." The Kings, who have dropped three straight and five of six, played their second consecutive game without leading scorers DeMarcus Cousins (ankle sprain) and Rudy Gay (Achilles strain). The two combine for nearly 43 points per game and are day to day. Chandler scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Kenneth Faried finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Timofey Mozgov added 14 points, while Nate Robinson and Randy Foye had 12 apiece. "Were starting to come around as a team," said Chandler, who made three 3-pointers and added five of Denvers 28 assists. "Were getting used to each other. We have 10 or 11 guys who can play and we dont lose a thing, no matter who is on the court." Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and eight assists for Sacramento, and Marcus Thornton scored 19. Ben McLLemore added 18 points, Jason Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Williams scored 12. Nate Hairston Jersey. "We never got defensive in the game tonight," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Both teams shot the ball the exact same field goal percentage (51.9 per cent). We were not going to outscore that team. We put up 117 points and yet everyone is worried about Rudy Gay and DeMarcus being out. I havent been worried about our offence once this year." Denver didnt have a field goal in the final 3:30 of the game, but stayed on top thanks to its foul shooting. The Nuggets made 14 of 19 free throws down the stretch, most of them in the final 3 minutes. A pair of free throws by J.J. Hickson gave Denver a seven-point lead. Robinson made one of two attempts at the line with 1:02 left, putting the Nuggets up 119-113. Lawson hit two free throws and Chandler made four straight, increasing the lead to 10. "We just couldnt get any consecutive stops in the fourth quarter," McLemore said. "We would get a stop here, but not consecutively. What happened was that we turned the ball over too much tonight. Thats what allowed them to score 125 points and 58 points in the paint. It was us not defending and turnovers." Leading by two points, the Nuggets opened the fourth quarter with a surge, taking a 111-102 lead on a 3-pointer by Robinson. But Denver went scoreless for more than 3 minutes before Lawson scored for a 113-107 advantage. Lawson gave the Kings all sorts of trouble in the third quarter, scoring 12 points to help Denver take a 95-94 lead into the fourth. Thornton scored 10 for the Kings. The Nuggets ran off eight unanswered points to open an eight-point lead in the third. But the Kings countered with a 15-2 run, including seven points from Thomas and six from Thornton, to pull ahead 80-75 at the 4:36 mark. Foye had 12 first-half points and Lawson 11 for Denver, which led 65-59 at halftime. McLemore scored 10 off the bench for the Kings, who had 12 turnovers that led to 20 points. NOTES: Thomas made a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to extend his streak to 37 games, the second-most in franchise history. Mitch Richmond holds the team record with 39 consecutive games with a 3 during the 1996-97 season. ... In a fast-paced opening half, the Kings shot 59.5 per cent and Denver was at 54.5 per cent. ... Denver made 31 of 40 free throws. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Cheap Jerseys Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Jerseys China Discount NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China ' ' '