When the puck drops for the United States vs Slovakia in the Olympic semifinals on Friday afternoon, it'll be a battle of two members of the Tampa Bay Lightning and their countrymen.
The United States had to go to overtime to defeat Sweden to punch their ticket to the semifinals, as Quinn Hughes was able to help the Americans walk away victorious with the overtime-winner. Jake Guentzel has scored just a single goal during his run in the Olympics, as he scored in the United States' 6-3 win over Denmark on Saturday.
As for Slovakia, they defeated Germany in convincing fashion to secure their spot in the semifinals, winning 6-2. Although Erik Cernak takes more of a defensive role, he's still been a valuable part of Slovakia's success averaging around 20 minutes of ice time a night.
Both teams are obviously gunning for a medal, however the expectations are vastly different. For Slovakia, winning a medal, even bronze, would be a major cause for celebration in their capital of Bratislava. They've only medaled once in Olympic history, with that medal coming in 2022.
The Americans are held to a different standard, anything less than gold is considered a disappointment considering they haven't accomplished that feat since the famous Miracle on Ice in 1980. While silver would be acceptable, they haven't achieved that since 2010. They also have a little added pressure, considering the U.S. Women's Team walked away with the gold on Thursday.
While both teams will have the opportunity to compete for a medal, the question entering Friday's game will be obvious. Will the United States punch their ticket to their first gold medal game since 2010, or will Slovakia compete for the gold for the first time ever? We won't have to wait long to find out.