Medal favorites Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic started with victories on Wednesday on the opening day of Olympic hockey. So did the Finns.
But in the first upset of the tournament, Slovakia beat Russia, and the US barely escaped, rallying for a tie with tiny Latvia.
Sweden and Canada picked up identical 7-2 wins. Playing without injured Peter Forsberg, Sweden overwhelmed Kazakhstan in Group B. In Group A, defending champion Canada beat Italy -- the only team of 12 without an NHL player on the roster.
Marian Gaborik scored two goals in the final four minutes, leading Slovakia 5-3 over Russia in Group B.
The Czechs, '98 Olympic champions, beat Germany 4-1 in Group A but suffered a blow when goalie Dominik Hasek had to leave the game after nine-and-a-half minutes with an injured left hamstring.
Also in Group A, Finland defeated Switzerland 5-0. The Americans drew 3-3 with Latvia in Group B.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist led the Swedes with two goals, which matched his total for the entire NHL season. Sweden also got goals from twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Daniel Alfredsson, P.J. Axelsson and Mats Sundin.
Forsberg was to sit out yesterday's game against Russia with a groin injury, and will be evaluated today.
"I think everybody has to step up," Tjarnqvist said. "Peter is one of the greatest players in the world. It's up to everybody to score."
Canada was locked in a surprising 1-all tie early in the second period, but scored five consecutive goals in 13-and-a-half minutes to overwhelm Italy.
Dany Heatley, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards all scored in the second, with Iginla getting his second of the game and fourth in two Olympic games.
He was the star of Canada's 5-2 gold-medal win over the US in 2002 with two goals.
Former NHL goalie Jason Muzzatti faced 50 Canadian shots. He wears images of Pope John Paul II and the Virgin Mary on his mask, but they weren't much help against the Canadians.
Gaborik's two late goals brought the first upset. The loss was the latest disappointment in international play for the talented Russians, who have had breakdowns in big tournaments in recent years.
The loss doesn't mean the Russians can't win a medal, but puts pressure on them to not lose again in their remaining four games in group play. Bronze medalists in 2002, the Russians were to play Sweden yesterday only 18 hours after losing to Slovakia.
Finland is missing its top two goalies -- Mikka Kiprusoff and Kari Lehtonen -- but beat Switzerland 5-0 with two goals and an assist each for Teemu Selanne and Olli Jokinen. Philadelphia Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki made 24 saves and was seldom tested.
"It wasn't very easy to start the game, some guys haven't even been here for 20 hours," Selanne said.
The Americans' tie felt more like a loss, with Jordan Leopold scoring at 2:01 of the final period to make it 3-3. The US is using a full roster of NHL players, and Latvia has only two current NHL players.
Latvia rallied from an early two-goal deficit and showed why few favor the US to medal. The only bright spot for the Americans was a 42-25 shot advantage.
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