Men's ice hockey Showdown Sunday

Canada vs. USA, 7:40 p.m.
Besides the intense border rivalry, this game pretty much means a bye in the next round. If you win, you move to the quarterfinals. If Canada loses this game, it will have a fairly tough match to get into the quarters. If America loses, it could still manage a bye into the quarters, but it will depend on the day's other matchups and might come down to goal differential.

The United States looked lethargic in its first game against Switzerland, a 3-1 win. Then, they looked like a real team when it thrashed Norway.

Canada has the most talented squad in the tournament. And, as we've seen in past international tournaments, having arguably the best goalie to play the game (Martin Brodeur) is a huge help. But Canada barely eked out a win against Switzerland, needing Sidney Crosby to score the game-winner in the shootout.

Does that mean the U.S. is better than we think? Maybe it was just a slow start, and the Americans will give Canada a run for its money.

I think home-ice advantage will play a key part, Brodeur will come up big, and the U.S. is just too young to beat Canada. If they meet in later rounds, though, expect a U.S. team with more chemistry to give them a scare.

My prediction: Canada 3, USA 2

Finland vs. Sweden, midnight (technically Monday morning)
If you're interested in a completely different kind of hockey, check out Finland vs. Sweden. This game is all about skill, and it will be a great showcase of the European style of hockey. Not as physical, but a lot of finesse and talent.

Finland's firepower is getting up there in age (Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu), so I'm going to go with Sweden.

My prediction: Sweden 6, Finland 4

Russia vs. Czech Republic, 3 p.m.
Russia is going to come out firing after its loss to Slovakia. The Czechs are old, and I don't think they have the solid defense that Slovakia does.

And, Alex Ovechkin plays his best when he's mad. The Russians need to win this game to get a bye. Ovechkin is used to lighting up Tomas Voukoun, so expect him to do it here. Expect Tomas Fleischmann to chip in a goal or two.

My predction: Russia 5, Czech Republic 2

And if you don't completely understand how the seeding works, here's a small breakdown of the tournament's rules:

The 12 teams are divided into 3 groups of 4 to start the Tournament. After the Group Stage ends, the standings will use both the points and the Goals Against to rank the teams 1-12 where the top 4 (3 Group Winners, Best 2nd Place Team) will gain automatic entry into the Quarterfinals. Then the teams will be seeded 5-12 to determine the 2nd round matchups (5 VS. 12, 6 VS. 11, 7 VS. 10, 8 VS. 9) to start the knockout rounds. After the 2nd Round, the lowest seeded 2nd round winner will face the top seed, the 2nd seed will play the #7 and so on till we reach the Medal Round.