INTERACTIVE

Video: Highlights of the U.S. win over Canada on Feb. 21.

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Canada’s confidence apparently wasn’t shaken by last Sunday’s loss. Coach Mike Babcock was half-smiling after the Slovakia game when he said the U.S. should be favored, and defenseman Shea Weber said, “They did beat us, but now it’s a whole different game.”

It was in 1998, the first Olympics with NHL players. Russia beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Feb. 16 but lost the rematch six days later, 1-0, for the gold medal.

Miller might represent the United States’ biggest advantage; he has outplayed Luongo, who took over for Martin Brodeur following the U.S. loss. But there are plenty of worries for the Americans, too, given how Canada is getting scoring from all four lines.

“We were too easy on Miller last time,” Babcock said, despite Canada’s 45-23 edge in shots in the first game. “We won’t be this time.”

Neither will the crowd, which has kept the pump-up-the-Canadians volume at rock concert levels game after game.

“The Canadians view this as their game and they view this game as planting a flag on a peak,” Burke said.

The player expected to be Canada’s best, Sidney Crosby, hasn’t scored in two games, and his most significant contribution was beating Switzerland in a shootout. But when he last faced Miller in the NHL, on Feb. 1, he scored three goals.

“I feel like I’ve generated a lot of chances,” Crosby said. “The puck hasn’t gone in as easy for our line the last couple of games, but we’ve been right there and that’s a good sign. Hopefully, this is the time we’re going to break out here.”

If there is one shared sentiment in the Canadians’ dressing room, it’s this: This team will not let the United States beat it twice.

“It doesn’t matter who we play in the gold-medal game,” forward Jonathan Toews said. “We want it so bad.”