Even though it isn’t the game that the United States wishes they were playing in, there is the matter of pride in the bronze medal game. Anything short of a gold medal was bound to be disappointing for the Americans, particularly given how impressive they had been in their first four games.

The dream run came to a crashing, clattering halt Friday afternoon at the hands of their neighborly nemesis to the north. The Canadians dominated for large portions of the game, doing just enough to slip past 1-0 behind the suddenly dominant Carey Price. As the highest scoring team in the tournament, the U.S. was shutout for the first time in the Olympics since 1976.

The Finns will be equally disappointed to be playing Saturday morning instead of much earlier on Sunday. They fell 2-1 to their Norwegian neighbors from Sweden. Though Kari Lehtonen played tremendously, Finland will be left wondering if Tuukka Rask could have been just a hair better in the semifinals.

Considering that both teams will be disappointed to be playing for the super unglamorous third place bronze medal, who will be the hungrier team?

Don’t be surprised if there are some “scratches” from high profile players that may have already received a call or text from their NHL general manager. A nagging ingrown hair or a significant paper cut could sideline one of the big guns on either side and significantly sway the outcome of this game. More than likely players who haven’t gotten as much ice time will feature prominently in this game.

Don’t get me wrong here. The game will be intense and will be played by super-talented NHL caliber players, but realistically a lot less is on the line. These are two teams that could easily have been playing for the gold medal on Sunday, each falling short by the absolute slimmest of margins.

Prediction: Expect the floodgates to open up a little bit here. This will be Teemu Selanne’s Olympic swan song and the "Finnish Flash" will lead an onslaught of offense as these two clubs put an embargo on sound defensive play. This could end up being the most entertaining game of the tournament considering what ISN’T at stake and offense will rule the day. In the end Finland will be hungrier than the United States. After all legendary American NASCAR racer and songwriter Ricky Bobby says, “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” Finland 7 United States 5.