So far, I think most of the Flyers' representatives at the Olympics have given a solid accounting of themselves. In particular, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Oskars Bartulis played overall for Latvia while pulling down 20 minutes a game of ice time. He'd been playing better for the Flyers prior to the Olympic break but he carried a heavier burden for his team in Vancouver. That experience can only benefit him.
I was asked why I haven't used a Slovakian flag icon for any of the previous Olympic reports on my blog space. The reason is the Hockeybuzz content management system -- I can choose between the available icons (USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic). Regardless of the outcome today against Sweden, the Slovaks certainly have had a fine tournament, capped by their victory over the Russians.
Today on Versus.com, I
preview the Sweden-Slovakia quarterfinal game and, on the Daily Drop, discuss how this tournament has demonstrated the
narrowing gap between "elite" and "second tier" powers in international hockey. Tomorrow's Across the Pond on NHL.com will look at Swiss hockey today compared with where Finland stood in the 1970s.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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