Kristan has started 43 games for HK Nitra of the Extraliga (SVK), in those contests he has posted a 2.61 GAA and .912 SV%. He will be in tough throughout the tournament as he backstops and under-manned Slovenia squad. Thursday could be a long night as he takes on an uber-talented Russian team.
Rask will likely start the vast majority of Finland's games. Rask is 25-13-4 with a 2.11 GAA and .928 SV% with the Bruins this season. He is one of the most elite goaltenders in the world and with Finland missing some key players with injuries, Rask will need to be in top-form to earn them a medal.
Quick will start the tournament opener when the Americans take on Slovakia on Thursday. Quick missed nearly two-months with a grade-2 groin strain, but has been back since January 4 and started 16 games since then. In those 16 starts he is 6-8-2 with a 2.01 GAA and .918 SV%. The losing record is more a reflection of the Kings inability to score than poor goaltending on Quick's behalf. Team USA should not have the same problem as L.A with all the talent they have up front.
Carey Price will start the tournament opener, but Luongo will get the second game. Luongo backstopped Canada to gold in Vancouver in 2010, but has had a tough-go with the Canucks lately. He is 19-16-6 with a 2.38 GAA and .917 SV% on the season, but has lost five in a row while giving up 17 goals and posting an .880 SV%.
As expected MIke Babcock will use both Price and Roberto Luongo in their first two contests. Price is 26-17-5 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 SV% with the Canadiens this season. In the week leading up to the Olympics, Price went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA, a .971 SV% and one shutout.
Hiller will be Switzerland's number-1 throughout the tournament as they look for a repeat of his 2010 Vancouver performance. Hiller almost carried the Swiss to a victory over Canada in the prelims, en route to an 8th place finish. The Swiss are certainly underdogs, but if they are going anywhere, it will be on Hiller's back. He is 25-9-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .917 SV% with the Ducks this season and has a great shot to open the Olympics 1-0 as he takes on Latvia on Wednesday.
Lundqvist is Sweden's unquestioned number-1 and will be leaned on heavily to lead his country to gold. He is expected to start nearly every game, but could rest in one preliminary game and give either Jonas Gustavsson or Jhonas Enroth an Olympic start. He was 22-18-3 with a 2.44 GAA and .918 SV% with the Rangers before the Olympics, but comes in red-hot having won five in a row with 1.77 GAA and .940 SV%. If Sweden is going to win a medal in this tournament, it is going to be because of 'King Henrik'.
Pavelec will not even dress in the Czech's opener on Wednesday, but will start on Friday vs. Latvia. He is 18-22-4 with a 2.97 GAA and .901 SV% with the Jets this season. Despite the subpar numbers on the year, Pavelec enters the Olympics having won seven of his last 11.
Winnipeg Jets netminder Ondrej Pavelec will not even dress in the opener, but is expected to start the Czech's second game of the tournament. Kovar is in his first season in the KHL after spending the last three season in the Czech league. Kovar is 19-15-0 with a 1.91 GAA and .934 SV% in 44 games with Yekaterinburg Automobilist this season.
Datsyuk missed Monday's practice with the lower-body injury that has been plaguing him for over a month. He was back on the ice on Tuesday and was centring a line with Alexander Radulov and Ilya Kovalchuk. Datsyuk is the captain of Team Russia and he is determined to play in front of his home country. When asked how his injury felt, Datsyuk smiled and replied, "What injury?" Russia gets underway on Thursday at 7:30 am EST vs. Slovenia.
In line rushes at Monday's practice, Nichushkin skated as an extra. With a team stacked with polished NHL and KHL veterans it is not surprising to see the 18-year-old sit on the big stage. He could see some action as the tournament progresses, but don't expect to see him on Thursday vs. Slovenia.
The expectation is that Semyon Varlamov will be Russia's starter because of more experienced international resume, but Bobrovsky made a great case for himself in the last month leading up to Sochi. Over the last 30 days, Bob has won nine of 13 starts while posting a 2.17 GAA and .931 SV%. In contrast, Varly has won eight of 12 games with a 2.79 GAA and .919 SV%.
Datsyuk has been battling a lower-body injury, that could keep him out of Russia's tournament opener on Thursday vs. Slovenia. With the opponent being one that should be easy to beat, they could play it safe with Datsyuk and let him rest before Saturday's clash with the Americans. Datsyuk is set to centre the second line with former NHLers Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov.
Leopold only played 2:43 before he limped off to the dressing room. Original reports are that the injury is serious and he could be sidelined for an extended period of time. A more detailed report will be released in the next 24-48 hours.
Pacioretty was unable to put virtually any weight on his leg as he was helped off. This would be a big blow to the USA Olympic team if Pacioretty's injury is as serious as it originally looks.
Bishop is dealing with an upper-body injury that forced him from Thursday's game. Usually leading the team onto the ice would confirm the starter, however with Bishop battling an injury, it is not 100 per cent. You can take the risk with Bishop, because we likely won't know for certain until minutes before he would lock.
Khudobin allowed one goal on 35 shots in a 5-1 win over the Panthers last night. The great outing has earned him another start tonight vs. the Canadiens. Khudobin has won six of his last eight while holding opponents to just 2.13 goals per game. Continue to ride the hot streak.
Bernier stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. Bernier has won four of his last five starts wit 2.33 GAA and .935 SV%. He draws a strong matchup against a Canucks team who have lost six in a row while being outscored 23-10.
Luongo allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Canadiens on Thursday. Luongo has now lost four straight starts while allowed 14 goals… Not quite the way he wants to head into the Olympics. He will be in tough tonight against a Maple Leafs squad that knows how to put the puck in the net.