Canada versus Team USA, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)United States: It is painfully simple for Team USA: Win, and its hope of advancing in the World Cup of Hockey lives for another day or two. Lose in any fashion to powerful Canada, and Thursdays preliminary-round game against the Czech Republic will be meaningless, a painful reminder of the failure of this team to come together in any fashion when it mattered most. Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers likened the situation to a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.For some of these players the faceoff against their historic rivals to the north may be the last chance internationally to establish a meaningful legacy in the face of a new generation of talented young American players -- several of whom are playing in this tournament for Team North America. Already dogged by skepticism about the makeup of their team, the U.S. players must now confront a Canadian squad that has won the past two Olympic gold medals and is a heavy favorite to win this tournament for a second consecutive time, dating back to 2004. Although the Americans did split two pre-tournament games with Canada, they will have to exponentially ramp up their intensity after a curiously dispassionate 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday, but they must do so without losing their cool, which may be difficult given the stakes.Its a great spot for the Americans to be in, that type of situation, in that type of atmosphere, Team USA head coach John Tortorella insisted. If you cant get motivated to do your best in this type of situation, with the environment thats going to be there Tuesday night, theres something the matter with you. Then weve got the wrong guy. But I dont think weve got the wrong guys.One game into this highly anticipated tournament, the evidence suggests otherwise. But thats the beauty of what awaits this American team: a chance, in the space of 60 minutes on Tuesday night, to rewrite the story of this tournament and maybe their own legacy.?-- Scott BurnsideCanada:?His teams 6-0 opening win over the Czech Republic was pretty darn impressive, but not perfect, said Canada head coach Mike Babcock on Monday. He knows that his players can still pick things up a notch. For sure another level, he said. They had five looks at our net in the first six minutes. Four of them were on specialty teams, and one was on the line change. So weve got to fix that up, for sure. Other than that, I thought we played well; we played with some pace. We didnt have pace early in the exhibition, but were starting to get a little more comfortable.The question is whether Team Canada can manufacture the same kind of desperation level that Team USA will naturally have on Tuesday in a do-or-die situation. The natural rivalry that exists between both teams, on display in two meaningless-yet-feisty pre-tournament games, should ensure Canadas emotional investment. After all, you know that the Canadians would relish that chance to inflict the knockout punch to their rivals, even if they insist thats not their focus.[Were] just playing our game, veteran center Ryan Getzlaf?said. Were trying to build something here. I think we have to make this whole focus about us and not really buy into the whole do-or-die thing for them. Its a matter of us just going out and playing our game and continuing to get better throughout this tournament.Look for Team Canada to try to create turnovers in the U.S. zone with an aggressive forecheck, as tight, five-man units give Team USAs blueliners little room for transition. Its what worked so well against the Czechs in the opener. There were no lineup changes for Canada at practice on Tuesday, which likely means that?Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux will sit out again. The forward lines and defense pairings were also the same, meaning the U.S. has to brace for that Brad Marchand-Sidney Crosby-Patrice Bergeron unit, which brought the Czechs to their knees in the opener. -- Pierre LeBrunFinland versus Sweden, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)Finland: North America, the team loaded with talented players 23-and-younger, completely dismantled Finland 4-1 in its first World Cup game on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sweden defeated Russia 2-1. Finland needs to muster a major response against the Swedes on Tuesday. Both teams practiced on Monday, but the Finns worked on every aspect of their game in an attempts to figure out why theyre playing so poorly. The biggest issue for Finland to fix is its compete level. It was not there against the kids on Sunday, and now that its biggest rival is on deck, Finland needs to play a 200-foot game. Defensively, the Finns were brutal in front of their own net, so that was a point of emphasis during practice. Finlands defensive-zone coverage needs to improve, especially against a potent Swedish offense.Sweden: For the Swedes, its much of the same. Their depth was key against Russia. Sweden has the ability to roll all four lines, and its defensive core stifled Russias dangerous attack. Sweden was able to exploit Russias weak defense. In order to have success against Finland, it has to follow the same game plan.Line watch:?This game wont be won by one single line or power-play unit. It will come down to goaltending. Both teams were in a bit of a pickle after Mondays practices because of their respective goaltending situations. Swedens Henrik Lundqvist missed Sundays game with the flu. He participated in the teams full practice and showed no ill effects on Monday. While Lundqvist was optimistic after practice about his chances to play against Finland, it was a bit strange when he reiterated numerous times that it would be a coachs decision. Its possible that this could be Lundqvists final tournament for Swedens national team, so if hes healthy I cant imagine a scenario in which he wouldnt play against Finland. At the other end of the ice, its unclear whether Finland will stick with?Pekka Rinne?or switch and go with Tuukka Rask. During practice, it appeared Rask would be the starter. --?Joe McDonald Black Friday Shoes Deals . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Black Friday Shoes Store . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.shoesblackfriday.com/ . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Cheap Black Friday ShoesWholesale Black Friday Shoes . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. BOSTON -- Facing one of the NHLs hottest goaltenders didnt slow down the New York Rangers.Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes each scored short-handed goals, Antti Raanta made 35 saves and the surging Rangers beat the Boston Bruins and goalie Tuukka Rask 5-2 on Saturday night.We didnt play our best game, but we found a way to make a couple of plays and beat one of the goaltenders that had been one of the hottest so far in the league, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.Pavel Buchnevich added a power-play goal, Stepan had two assists, and Michael Grabner and Nick Holden also scored for New York, which won its fourth straight game and seventh in the last eight.The speed in our game has been very good and I think thats something that we were missing last year, Raanta said. Its still early in the season, but I think everyone is pretty much on the same page with what theyre doing and what we want to do.David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins, who had won their last three games. Rask made 19 saves, but lost for the first time after winning his first six starts.The Rangers entered the night with the leagues best goal differential.Were scoring a lot of goals and it helps for the goalies, but you have to focus on your own thing, Raanta said.Trailing 1-0 in the first, the Rangers tied it when Holden fired a seemingly harmless dump-in shot from the right point, but the puck appeared to hit the glove of Boston center David Krejci and dipped before going into the net.New York made it 2-1 on Stepans goal late in the period as he broke in alone after taking a pass from Grabner. Rask poked the puck off his stick, but it caromed off both of the wingers skates and slid into the net.Seconds after Boston defenseman Torey Krug misfired at an open side of the neet, Hayes scored on the end of a 3-on-1 break at 2:18 of the second, slipping a shot under Rasks right pad.dddddddddddd.The Rangers also had a 2-on-0 short-handed bid seconds later, but Rask turned aside the chance.Overaggressive might be one term, and not realizing that you still have to defend when you dont have the puck and you cant be lackadaisical, Boston coach Claude Julien said of his teams power plays. I dont know if I want to call it sloppy, but certainly it definitely hurt our game tonight and our chances.Referee Dean Morton had to be helped off the ice in the second after taking the puck off the back of the head on clearing shot from Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein.Klein shot the puck from the side of his teams net into the corner, where it hit Morton. He went down to the ice before getting on his knees and being helped off by a Boston trainer. He was taken for evaluation and didnt return.The Bruins had moved ahead when Bergeron one-timed Brad Marchands pass 3:44 into the game.Game notes Rangers rookie and Harvard grad Jimmy Vesey, who played in the Beanpot at TD Garden, played his first here as a pro. It was great, he said. I played here for four years and came to a couple of Bruins games growing up. It was pretty special for me to be out there as a professional. . The Rangers entered the night as the only team with seven players having scored four or more goals. ... Bruins RW Jimmy Hayes -- brother of New Yorks Kevin -- was a healthy scratch.UP NEXTRangers: Host Winnipeg on Sunday, the first of a two-game homestand before a four-game road trip.Bruins: Host Buffalo on Monday, the second of two straight at home. ' ' '