It’s finally time for the Olympic pucks to drop as the Sochi tournament kicks off today. The round robin portion of the 12 team battle begins on with two games and continues with three games per day, wrapping up with a four game set on February 16th.

The United States begins their quest for gold on Thursday against Slovakia. While the American team was an overtime goal away from snatching gold in Vancouver in 2010, they will have a difficult time repeating their second place finish.

A quick glance at Olympic history will show a pretty interesting statistic: The last time the United States finished with a medal outside of North America was 1972 in Sapporo, Japan. This is more than one of those useless ESPN stats that shows how well a team performs on rainy Saturdays in July on odd numbered days. NHL players have represented America in the last four winter Olympiads, twice finishing with a silver medal- Salt Lake City in 2002, Vancouver 2010.

The Slovakian team boasts a strong NHL contingent, which will certainly be a formidable opener for the reigning runner-ups. The big names on the Slovak roster start on defense with flag-bearer and resident grizzly bear Zdeno Chara. Jaroslav Halak will mind the net and the offense will feature only one Marian (Marian Hossa) as Marian Gaborik was forced to withdraw due to his injured shoulder.

It will certainly be a test of attrition as both nations’ strength lies on the defensive end. While the United States has more firepower on paper, don’t think for a second that there aren’t some gifted snipers on the Slovakian side. The Americans will have to keep their eyes on some of the talented youngsters like Tomas Jurco and Tomas Tatar who have been coming into their own at the NHL level.

Key matchup: Halak vs. Jonathan Quick

Which goaltender will blink first? With the elite goaltenders on display, it could come down to who has the hot hand in net. There is sure to be some rust after a few days off with a side dish of jet lag, but expect a dynamic display from two of the best in the world.

Predicted outcome: The United States has a bit more depth, which will help them escape with a 2-1 victory. It may not be the most exciting game in the opening round, but defense will rule the day. A tough loss for the young Slovakian team but they should be good enough to make some noise in the elimination round.