Canada, United States clash for top spot in Group A at Olympics

The last day of Olympic preliminary round action will be the clash of the titans as Canada and the United States face off for top spot in Group A.

Both teams are 3-0 heading into the matchup and have been dominant over the rest of the group.

Canada has been an offensive powerhouse over the first three games, scoring 29 goals in victories over Switzerland (12-1), Finland (11-1) and ROC (6-1).

Canadians make up the top eight scorers in the tournament, led by Natalie Spooner with 10 points.

However, it’s been the two Sarahs who have stolen the show so far during these Games.

Sarah Fillier, 21, has shown her six-point performance at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship was no fluke. In her first Olympics, she leads the tournament with five goals and is third in scoring with six points. Fillier has undoubtedly been the breakout star of the Olympics.

Sarah Nurse missed time with an injury during the fall centralization process but hasn’t missed a beat in Beijing. On the back of her hat trick against Finland, she is second in tournament scoring with four goals and seven points. Skating in her second Olympics after winning silver in 2018, the 27-year-old is playing some of the best hockey of her career.

Rounding out the rest of the top scoring Canadians are Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Marie-Philip Poulin and Claire Thompson with six points and Laura Stacey with five.

In net, Ann-Renée Desbiens started the first two games for Canada and picked up the victories over Switzerland and Finland, recording a .954 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average. Emerance Maschmeyer made her Olympic debut against ROC in a game that delayed by an hour due to COVID-19 protocols.

On the American side, Hilary Knight continues to lead