Canadas quest to defend gold at Sochi truly begins today with a quarterfinal matchup against Latvia.
John Matuszak Raiders Jersey . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio starting at 11:30am et/8:30am pt. And listen to Wayne Gretzky speak, as he joins the TSN Radio panel during the pre-game show. Canada will look for a fast start after three days off. The Latvians promise to play a similarly tight-checking style to Canadas last opponent, Finland, who was able to push their final preliminary round game to overtime before a Drew Doughty goal sealed a 2-1 victory. Doughty leads all Canadians in points with four goals and one assist through three games. He leads all defencemen in points at Sochi and trails just Phil Kessel, Michael Grabner and Alexander Radulov overall. Carey Price once again gets the start in net for Canada after stopping 14 of 15 shots against the Finns. His .943 save percentage is seventh among goalies that have made more than one start at the Olympics. Latvian netminder Edgars Masalskis has posted a .946 mark through three starts and has made more saves than any other Olympic goalie. Coach Mike Babcock once again rearranged his forward lines at practice on Tuesday hoping to ignite his forwards ahead of the playoff round. Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz have once again been reunited with Patrice Bergeron on the right side. Meanwhile, Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn has been placed alongside Anaheim Ducks duo Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to form a menacing power forward trio. Martin St. Louis will dress for todays game after being a healthy scratch against Finland. He replaces Matt Duchene in the lineup and has been held off the score-sheet thus far in the tournament. "The reality is we dress 13 forwards each game," Babcock said. "One guy hardly gets on the ice. Its a hard, hard situation for people that play 22 minutes. Thats the way it is. Youve got to find a way to help out when you get a chance." P.K. Subban is also the odd men out. Dan Hamhuis will be the seventh defenceman, leaving Subban out of the lineup for the third time in four games. He played 11:41 minutes in Canadas 6-0 rout of Austria. "Hes a proud guy. And hes here and he doesnt get to dress," Babcock said of Subban. "Nobody is probably thrilled about that. Those are hard decisions that we make, and in the end theyve got to live it." "That doesnt mean theyve got to like it. But youre here to be a good pro and a good teammate and as its not about me and its not him, its about Canada. As long as we all remember that, were fine." Latvia went 0-3 in Group C in the preliminary round, scoring just five goals combined against the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. The upstart Latvians are guaranteed their best-ever Olympic finish after surprising Switzerland 3-1 in the qualification playoff round. Lauris Darzins led the way for Latvia, scoring a pair against Switzerland, including the game-winner and the empty-netter that sealed the victory. This is Latvias first ever trip to the Olympic quarter-finals, having been eliminated in the preliminary round in 2006 and losing in overtime to the Czech Republic in the 2010 qualification playoffs. Canada and Latvia have met on only one prior occasion at the Olympics, with the Canadians winning an 11-0 blowout at the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Latvias best-ever result against Canada at the mens level came at the 1997 IIHF World Championships where they earned a 3-3 draw. Latvia boasts just one NHL player in Buffalo Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons. However, a number of their players have NHL experience including Oskars Bartulis, Kaspars Daugavins among others. Their most experienced NHL veteran is captain Sandis Ozolinsh, who played 875 career games between 1992-93 and 2007-08. A seven-time NHL All-Star, Ozolinsh was a Norris Trophy finalist in 1996-97 and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96. "I know Sandis Ozolinsh played for me and helped me get to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and hes their captain," Babcock said. "Theyre better as a sum than they are as parts." FORWARDChris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patrice BergeronPatrick Marleau - Jonathan Toews - Jeff CarterJamie Benn - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey PerryPatrick Sharp - John Tavares - Rick NashMartin St. Louis DEFENCE Duncan Keith - Shea WeberMarc-Edouard Vlasic - Drew DoughtyJay Bouwmeester - Alex PietrangeloDan Hamhuis EXTRASMatt Duchene, P.K. Subban PP1Tavares - Crosby - CarterKeith - Sharp PP2Toews - Getzlaf - PerryWeber - Doughty PK1Marleau - BergeronBouwmeester - Pietrangelo PK2Toews - NashVlasic - Doughty PK3Benn - BergeronKeith - Weber
Matt McGloin Raiders Jersey . -- Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin has a partially torn ligament in his left elbow that may require season-ending surgery.
Tarell Brown Raiders Jersey . Canadian midfielder and Winnipeg native Desiree Scott is thrilled the team will play in her hometown for the first time since 1990. "Im beyond excited," she said.OTTAWA -- Kaetlyn Osmond won her second consecutive Canadian womens figure skating title and clinched her spot on the Sochi Olympic team with a long program that chronicles Cleopatras rise to power. The story choice was strategic, meant to mirror Osmonds rise through the ranks to hopefully the top of the Olympic podium one day. "Very proud," Osmond said after Saturdays victory. "Its exactly what I wanted to do in this program. Its the first time I did an actual clean (long) program in competition so Im super excited. Im still in shock." The 18-year-old from Marystown, N.L., whos battled back from two injuries that sidelined her for much of the last four months, scored 207.28 for her program that included six triple jumps. It was the second highest score in the history of the national event behind Joannie Rochettes 208.23, a month before the 2010 Vancouver Games. But Gabrielle Daleman, a 15-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., provided the surprise of the night, passing the much more experienced Amelie Lacoste in the long program to finish second with 182.47, likely earning a spot on the Sochi-bound team. Canada has two Olympic berths in womens singles. The team will be announced Sunday. "Very exciting and not just those two, there are several skaters coming up, young skaters, who are doing incredible things," said Osmonds coach Ravi Walia. "Theyre pushing Kaetlyn, Kaetlyn is pushing them. I think its a really exciting time for ladies skating in Canada." Osmond has climbed the ranks by leaps and bounds since she won bronze at the Canadian championships two years ago with a score that was more than 50 points shy of Saturdays. She announced her arrival on the international scene in the fall of 2012 when she won Skate Canada International and then finished eighth at last years world championships. Osmond drew in the Canadian Tire Centre crowd with strength and cconfidence that seemed years beyond her young age.
Sebastian Janikowski Raiders Jersey. "I think its just confidence in knowing I can do what I can do, and knowing no matter what gets thrown at me, whether its good or bad, Ill stay with a positive attitude and still stay focused and calm and able to skate," Osmond said. "Thats a lot to do with my coach because hes so calm and he reminds me when I have to focus and when I have to breathe, and other times when I have to just enjoy it and let whatever happens happen." Osmond has battled a couple of injuries this season -- first a stress reaction in her ankle in August, then a hamstring tear that forced her to withdraw from the long program at Skate Canada in October. Walia and Osmond set a plan two years ago to make the Sochi team, and the coach said he was "amazed" that despite all the obstacles, everything has fallen into place. "Its exciting that its a reality now," Walia said. Daleman, meanwhile, clasped her hands over her mouth when the marks were announced. "I was not expecting that score at all. Just seeing that mark and getting over the 180 just made my day," she said. "I feel just so excited seeing that Im second and doors could be opened for me." The five-foot skater opened her program with a huge triple Lutz on her way to landing six triples. Daleman said shes been inspired by Osmonds swift ascendance on the international scene. "She pushes my limits, because you know one day you want to beat her so you just keep pushing pushing. . .," Daleman said. Daleman turns 16 on Monday and said a spot on the Sochi team would be "the best birthday present ever." "My dream is coming true and I get to go to Sochi. Its the Olympics, it comes once every four years, and knowing that Ill be the youngest there (on the Canadian team) will just make my day even better."
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