Olympic Update: Checking In On the Capitals in Sochi

Group Play has come to an end, the tournament seeds have been decided and the knockout phase has commenced. The United States, Finland, Canada, and Sweden have earned byes for the knockout phase and spots in the quarterfinals, while eight other teams will hold play-in games to square up against the aforementioned big four.
Scott Rovak-USA Today Sports
All four Capital liaisons to the Olympics are still alive, but only John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom have guaranteed spots in the quarterfinal round (for USA and Sweden, respectively). Alex Ovechkin and the Soviets will face Norway in the knockout round, the winner of which will then play Finland in the quarterfinal; Martin Erat and the Czechs will play against Slovakia, the winner of the two moving on to play the United States in the quarterfinal.

Erat has scored once, putting one past the Latvian netminder in a 4-2 victory for the Czech Republic; In the United States opener against Slovakia, Carlson scored the United States’ first goal in Sochi en route to a 7-1 blowout; Backstrom has two assists for Sweden, sitting pretty in the quarterfinals waiting to face the winner of Slovenia and Austria; Ovechkin has both a goal and an assist but on an ugly 17 shots on goal.

More to come as the tournament phase continues.