With the Winter Olympics reaching the quarterfinal stage in men's hockey, all three Flyers' players in attendance are still involved. Rasmus Ristolainen and Finland will take on Switzerland in the third of four matchups. And while there will be a rooting interest involved for Flyers fans, their eyes will likely have a closer eye on the game that takes place before that one.
In the second game of the quarterfinal round, the undefeated Canadiens will match up against a Czech team that only won a single game during preliminary play, but edged out a 3-2 win against a tough Denmark squad in the qualifying round. Canada will certainly have the edge as the fresher team, with the Czechs playing on back-to-back days.
As the Flyers returned to practice, their other two Olympians will be gearing up for a trip to the semi-finals. Dan Vladar (Czechia) and Travis Sanheim (Canada) will have a chance to earn bragging rights over the other. The loser heads back to Philadelphia while the winner continues their Olympic journey, that much closer to a medal.
There is a chance, however, that neither will be in the lineup when their two countries face off. Lukas Dostal has come through as the clear-cut starter for Czechia. He appeared in two of the three preliminary games and was in the net for the win against Denmark. It will be a quick turnaround, though, as their quarterfinal matchup is just 24 hours later.
Josh Morrissey, who was injured in Canada's Olympic opener, was expected to return at some point. That some point could come against the Czechs. Sanheim has entered the lineup after his injury ruled him out during preliminary play.
Flyers fans will have their eyes on a specific quarterfinal matchup
Vladar earned the only victory for the Czechs in preliminary play as he was in the net in the 6-3 win over France. He did allow three goals in the second period, but settled down to earn the victory. He had stopped all seven shots he faced prior, and finished with nine saves on 12 shots. Otherwise, he has been the backup to Dostal.
An argument could have been made that Vladar should've been given more of a chance. Coming in, he had the better numbers between the two. Dostal also opened up the tournament with a 5-0 loss to Canada and was clearly exposed by the team he is expected to face once again.
With only three games of qualifying play, the goaltending decision was going to have to be made quickly. Even though Vladar won his only game, a better performance may have given him another chance. Allowing three goals in a matter of minutes couldn't have looked good regardless of the outcome.
And even with the quick turnaround to the rematch against Canada, Vladar hasn't played since Feb. 13, which was five days ago. You can say that he would be the fresher goaltender, but that much layoff in an elimination game might be too much for the Czechs to risk. They've ridden Dostal this far, so it's unlikely they won't continue to do so.
This could benefit the Flyers, though. With Vladar sitting on the sidelines, he's getting plenty of rest ahead of what is going to be an important time in Philadelphia. Barring anything crazy, he is going to start a majority of the games down the stretch, and they need him at his best. Getting the Olympic experience without as much of the beatdown is a win-win.
Sanheim's Olympics have gone similarly to his 4 Nations journey. He was not in the lineup in Canada's first game, but the injury to Morrissey forced him into action. Sanheim appeared in a limited, seventh defenseman role in his first game, but was since elevated to a pairing with Drew Doughty, slowly earning more ice time as the Olympics have gone on.
He played just over 10 minutes against Switzerland before a substantial jump to nearly 19 minutes against France. However, Morrissey was skating with Colton Parayko on Tuesday. Sanheim was again relegated to an extra pair with Shea Theodore, where he began the tournament. He could still enter the game as the seventh defenseman, though.
Making Canada in the first place is a huge accomplishment for Sanheim. With a stacked roster, the Flyers' defenseman is skating with numerous NHL superstars at every position. That alone could pay dividends for him upon his return. This experience still shows that Sanheim is looked at as one of Canada's best, even if he doesn't return to the lineup.
Sanheim was never going to earn a top role on Canada with the likes of Cale Makar and Devon Toews on the team. It was an easy decision to match the two teammates up on the top pairing. Morrissey is also probably one of the Canadiens' best defenders, so as long as he is healthy, he will be in the top four. That already pushes Sanheim down, as he wouldn't be put on the right side.
Canada has used what worked for them at the 4 Nations. And with Sanheim not playing the first game in Milan, he was already at a disadvantage. Without the Morrissey injury, there was a chance he didn't play at all or stayed in an extremely limited role. Similar to Vladar, backing off Sanheim's minutes at a key point of the season should keep him fresh once he returns.
Even if neither Vladar nor Sanheim plays, bragging rights are on the line. One will head back to Philadelphia, and one will move on to the semi-finals and a chance to compete for a medal.