SOCHI – If its not Canada, it could be the inspired bunch from the host-country. If its not the Russians, it could be the Swedes, Finns, Czechs or Americans. The gold-medal winner likely will come from this group in Sochi, but forecasting the Olympic champion in the mens hockey tournament has never been easy. Since the participation of NHL players in 1998 there have been three different winners in the Czech Republic, Canada, Sweden and Canada again in four Winter Games. Its a short-term event and things can go wrong in a hurry for the top teams. A hot goaltender can steal a game in the medal round and all of a sudden a favourite is sitting on the sidelines. Just ask Hockey Canada. Were the Canadian teams that won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 or in Vancouver in 2010 any better than the 1998 group that was stoned time and time again by Dominik Hasek in Nagano? Just ask Sweden about 2002, when goalie Tommy Salo surrendered that fluky late-game winning goal off his bean from 70 feet out off the stick of Belarus defenceman Vladimir Kopat. Who would have thought Switzerland could have pulled off its surprise run to the final at the world championship last spring? Like the sophisticated watches the Swiss are known for, the hockey teams timing was impeccable. It peaked at the perfect moment for wins over the Czech Republic and United States in the quarterfinal and semi-final, respectively, only to lose to Sweden in the finale. So, with all that in mind, what country will give Canada the biggest challenge in its gold-medal defence at the 2014 Winter Games? Here are the odds as of Monday night from bodog.ca. • Canada 19-10 (about 2-1)• Russia 12-5• Sweden 9-2• USA 6-1• Finland 11-1• Czech Republic 12-1 And, if you like to play the long odds: • Switzerland 25-1• Slovakia 33-1• Norway 200-1• Latvia 400-1\• Austria 750-1• Slovenia 1,000-1 Michael Dickson Seahawks Jersey . Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage. Gary Jennings Jr. Seahawks Jersey .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/chris-carson-jersey/.J. -- Kyle Palmieri thrilled his personal rooting section with an overtime winner that sent the Anaheim Ducks to their seventh straight win. Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match. Steve Largent Womens Jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks.When the Senators stumbled out of the gate with a slow start this season, much of the blame was directed at the clubs inconsistent goaltending. In particular, Craig Anderson was singled out for not playing as well as he did during the 2012-13 campaign, when many suggested he was the best goalie in the league before he suffered an ankle injury partway through the lockout-shortened campaign. Anderson really struggled in November, winning just two of his seven starts and posting a 4.00 GAA and a .866 save percentage. He lost a grip on his job as the No. 1 goaltender, as he was alternating starts with Robin Lehner for a good portion of December. But then suddenly, Anderson re-discovered his game in the past couple of weeks and heading into Wednesdays game in Denver, the netminder had reeled off five consecutive victories. However, we shouldnt be too surprised that Anderson is heating up as the calendar flips to January, because his career numbers have always been better in the second half of the season. A look at Andersons career splits by the month, illustrates a goalie who often comes out slow and then catches fire: MONTH GP SAVE PCT. GAA October 47 .913 2.90 November 51 .902 3.09 December 62 .904 3.00 January 58 .925 2.37 February 50 .922 2.64 March 50 .918 2.78 April 29 .916 2.43 In his breakout season with the Avalanche in 2009-10, he posted a .897 save percentage and a 3.19 GAA in 12 starts in the month of November. But when January rolled around, Anderson had a .946 save percentagge and a 1.dddddddddddd72 GAA and rode that momentum down the stretch where he was the biggest reason why the Avalanche made the playoffs. In Andersons first season with the Senators, this pattern continued – as he came out with save percentages of .881, .903 and .907 in the first three months of the season. But then a switch was flipped in January and he went 8-5-1 with a .933 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA. Those strong numbers down the stretch continued – with the exception of a brief hiccup because of a sliced finger – and the Senators ended up making the playoffs. Andersons dominance in January extended to last season – even though there was a lockout that meant the first three months of the season were wiped out. He went 5-0-1 with a .967 save percentage and a 0.99 GAA to start the season, further cementing the fact that January is his favourite month – no matter when the NHL season starts. A look at Andersons career save percentage in the month of January reveals that he is ahead of all other goalies in the Eastern Conference: CAREER JANUARY SAVE PERCENTAGE (MIN. 25 GP) GOALIE SAVE PCT. Craig Anderson .925 Ryan Miller .922 Jimmy Howard .921 Tim Thomas .921 Henrik Lundqvist .920 Martin Brodeur .917 Cam Ward .914 Tuukka Rask .913 Marc-Andre Fleury .910 Carey Price .908 If Andersons career pattern continues again this season, the Senators will have an excellent chance of making the post-season. And in all likelihood, Anderson will re-establish himself as the clubs No. 1 netminder for the stretch drive. ' ' '