Canadians escape with a win over Swiss

VANCOUVER - Across Canada, there was a single response: Whew.

Sidney Crosby scored the only goal of a shootout in which an entire nation hung on every shot, giving Canada a 3-2 victory over Switzerland last night and avoiding a second inconceivable loss to the Swiss in as many Olympics.

Canada, a huge favorite despite a 2-0 upset defeat to Switzerland in 2006 that ranks among the greatest in Olympic history, took a 2-0 lead early in the second and looked to be cruising. But the Swiss, with two NHL players to Canada's 23, came back to tie it on second-period goals by Ivo Ruthemann and Patrick von Gunten.

After a scoreless third period and 5-minute overtime, the first three shooters for each team in the shootout failed. Crosby, denied as Canada's first shooter, put a wrist shot past Jonas Hiller with his second attempt, and the game ended when Canada goalie Martin Brodeur stopped Martin Pluss' shot.

"My psyche was tough for me the whole game, knowing that it's a pressure game, people expect us to walk right through that team," Brodeur said. "At least getting the win like that is definitely nice."

Canada, helped by early goals from San Jose Sharks teammates Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau, now faces a North American showdown Sunday with the United States (2-0). It's a game Canada must win to be assured of gaining the quarterfinals without needing an extra game in a newly added play-in round.

"It's probably not a bad thing for us to go through that kind of desperation and tight hockey like that because it's not going to get any easier as we move on here," Crosby said.

Hiller, the Anaheim Ducks' goalie, couldn't have played much better while making 45 saves, but the Swiss simply didn't have enough skilled shooters to stage an upset that might have been greater than their 2006 surprise.

None of their four shooters came through in the shootout. Brodeur, the best goalie of his generation and the NHL recordholder for victories, turned aside former NHL player Hnat Domenichelli, Romano Lemm, Roman Wick and Pluss.

Maybe Canada should have taken note of the date: Feb. 18, the same as when goalie Martin Gerber - later dubbed the Shroud of Turin - made 49 saves against the Canadians at the 2006 Olympics and sent them to one of their worst defeats since the country invented hockey.

"This team is way better than the team we played in Italy. They skate better, they're younger, they're fresh and just the way they play," Pluss said.

"I thought at the beginning we were a little slow. The Canadian guys were all over us. After the second goal that made it 2-0, it could go either way," said defenseman Mark Streit, the Swiss' only NHL skater. "After, it could be 6-0. But we played hard, we didn't give up, we sacrificed, we stuck with our game plan and we came back."

In a women's game:

* Jessie Vetter made 23 saves, captain Natalie Darwitz had a goal and two assists, and the U.S. women completed their undefeated run through the preliminary round with a 6-0 win over Finland.

* The NHL might not decide until at 2012 or later whether it's going to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said no decision is imminent about possibly shutting down for 2 weeks to accommodate an Olympics in which some games would be played in the middle of the night in North America, thus affecting TV viewership and interest.

Before the NHL makes up its mind, a collective bargaining agreement between owners and players must be negotiated - the current deal expires after the 2010-11 season - and American TV rights must be awarded. Bettman said the decision could be several years off.

"There will come a point in time where we have to make a decision, but we went to Torino [in 2006] at the last second," he said.

The NHL didn't sign off on those Olympics until about a month after a labor agreement reached in July 2005 ended a one-season shutdown.

The NHL is appearing in its fourth consecutive Olympics, starting in 1998. *