Adrian Kempe and Sweden faceoff against Slovakia. Joel Armia and Finland face off against the Olympic host, Italy.
Day 3 was a very eventful one for the Olympics. It kicked off with Finland beating Sweden 4-1, but overall it was a very scrappy game between the 2 rival nations. After that game, we saw Doughty and Canada take on Switzerland and Fiala. Canada won that game 5-1, but near the end, Kevin Fiala got tangled up with Tom Wilson, was stretchered off the ice, and has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Sweden Vs Slovakia
Kempe and Sweden kick off day 4 with a close match against Slovakia, who are currently 2-0 at the Olympics. The game starts at 6:00 A.M ET (12:00 P.M local time). Kempe still has 1 point in these Olympic Games, and this game for Sweden is very important because, after the loss to Finland, Sweden is now tied for 2nd. If they lose against Slovakia today, Slovakia will get the bye.
Finland Vs Italy
Finland is coming off a 4-1 win over Sweden, and Joel Armia is having himself a very strong tournament so far, with 2 points in 2 games, including a short-handed goal assisted by Erik Haula and Esa Lindell. Finland plays Italy at 10:30 A.M ET (4:30 P.M local). Finland is in a very similar spot to Sweden, as yesterday's win kept their chances for getting a bye very much alive. For Finland to get the bye, they will need to improve their goal differential against an Italy team that has allowed 8 goals in 2 games.
Overall, both Kings forwards Armia and Kempe play major roles for their respective nations today, and tomorrow will give everyone a glimpse of what the knockout stage could look like. We could see an Armia and Finland vs. Kempe and Sweden rematch in the knockout round, or even in a medal game once the round robin is over.