Olympic men's hockey bracket gave Team USA one incredible advantage over Canada

The Olympic men's hockey bracket has done something kind for Team USA.

In the semifinals, the United States will take on Slovakia.

On the other side, Canada plays Finland.

And at least on paper, that's a distinct advantage for the United States.

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That's because of the four remaining semifinalists, Slovakia has by far the least NHL experience on its roster.

Only seven Slovakian players currently play in the NHL, compared to 24-of-25 Finnish players and all 25 of both the U.S. and Canada players.

You can see that here on this chart:

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Slovakia has been the tournament's big surprise, actually upsetting Finland comfortably (4-1) to open the Olympics and put everyone on notice.

So at least right now, Slovakia is outplaying their supposed talent level.

Still, though, if you're the United States, you'd rather play Slovakia and Finland.

It's up to the remaining teams to prove, though, that they can handle the matchups. Both the U.S. and Canada needed overtime in the quarterfinal round to advance.

Up next, Friday's semifinals, with a spot in the gold medal game on the line.

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