The Hurricanes blow into the Olympic medal rounds with a chance for the sweep

The medal rounds have arrived, and with them come not one, but three Carolina Hurricanes. In Friday's semifinal action, Seth Jarvis and Canada put away Sebastian Aho and Finland with a third-period comeback. Then, Jaccob Slavin and Team USA solidified their spot in the Gold Medal Game with a win over Slovakia. The Canes are set to bring home a lot of metal to Raleigh.

The big news of the Gold Medal Game is, of course, the rivalry of all rivalries in hockey, with the USA playing for gold against Canada. Both teams have been evenly matched throughout the tournament, even with Canada losing captain Sidney Crosby to injury for their semifinal. They were able to overcome Finland, but the U.S. squad is on a whole other level for these games.

This game is truly anyone's, but Team USA has vowed revenge after its loss in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off last season. The rivalry between two of the world's ice hockey powerhouses goes far beyond.

The last time the USA won an Olympic medal for men's ice hockey was in Vancouver in 2010, where they won silver, losing to Canada after the aforementioned Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime. Former Hurricane Eric Staal was part of that team, besting current assistant coach Tim Gleason. Before that, they last won gold in Lake Placid in 1980.

Team Canada went on to win medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, claiming gold in Sochi over Sweden and earning the bronze in South Korea, albeit without NHL players. This is their first medal round since the PyeongChang Games. Monumentally, this gold medal round will be like nothing ever seen before.

Both teams boast rosters overflowing with NHL talent. Both teams have played at an unbeatable level. Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin, with their teammates, understand what is at stake. Canada might own the edge up front, leading the tournament in shooting percentage, but the U.S. is first in save percentage, behind stellar work from Connor Hellebuyck.

Gold and silver at the Olympics are prestigious positions, but the Bronze Medal Game is nothing to ignore either. Slovakia and Finland have been with the U.S. and Canada all tournament. Sebastian Aho and Finland will look to avenge their group stage loss to Slovakia to open the tournament. The loss lit a fire under them, winning all the way into the semifinals before falling to Canada.

To have a chance of winning, it is paramount that all four teams stay out of the penalty box. Penalties are a part of the game, but with how tight the goaltending and scoring arsenals are, a penalty could easily cost either team a chance at a medal. Either way it breaks down, it is guaranteed that two Hurricanes will bring home medals. Slavin and Jarvis are guaranteed gold and silver, dependent on the outcome. Aho is the only one who could be left out.

The pressure is on, the games are set, and history for the franchise could easily be made if all three bring home medals. This will, no doubt, go down in the history books as one of the best Winter Games the NHL has seen, and the Hurricanes are proving that by leaving their mark in all three medal games. We wish them the best of luck, and may the best Hurricane win.