TURIN, Italy _ Just like that, the U.S. is back in the hunt in Olympic hockey.

That''s what happens when the Russian humiliate the Swedes 5-0 (usually, it''s the Finns that do that) ...

That''s what happens when Slovakia beats up on Latvia which gets a tie with the U.S

And tonight here in Torino Esposizioni, the Americans pretty much embarrassed lowly Kazakhstan, 4-1.

What does it all mean? Well, after getting just a point against Latvia on Wednesday, the U.S. put itself in a hole where they likely needed to win three of their next four against the Kazaks, Slovakia, Sweden and Russia.

The surprising Slovaks _ who don''t seem to miss Michal Handzus (shoulder injury/withdrew this week) _ lead Group B with 4 points. The American are second with 3 and Russian and Sweden each have 2.

"We knew the Latvia game wasn''t the be-all, end-all," said Doug Weight. "In 2002, we came out like gangbusters and ran out of gas. Latvia was better than us but we played well tonight."

Two things stood out tonight. First, Keith Tkachuk planted himself in front of the net like an oak tree and could not be moved. That caused a lot of problem for the Kazaks. Second, the U.S. was an awful 2-for-10 on the power play. They are going to be starving for goals against better opponents if they don''t improve there.

"People think you put a big guy in front he does a job," Weight told me. "What Keith does is he is so strategic, so strong on his feet, he has the best stick in the league. A rebound gets on his stick, it''s in the net. They have so many worries with Keith. It creates more space for the guy on the half-wall and for the defenseman up top."

Bring on the Slovaks!

[You can read more on this game in Friday''s Philadelphia Inquirer]

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