Thursday Olympic Daily Digest: Can the U.S. and Canada Play Again, Please?

USA vs. Canada was a thrilling women's hockey match that we'd like to see again. Here's what you need to watch on Th

The United States and Canada showdown on ice lived up to the hype on Wednesday night with a 2–1 victory for the neighbors from the north. The U.S. outshot Canada 45–23, but failed to capitalize on a late power play that could have tied the game. 

“(We win that game) eight times out of 10,” U.S. forward Amanda Kessel told reporters after the game. “That’s why I feel really good about it, and our team should, too. I think we put a great effort, and I think we put some doubt in Canadians’ minds."

These are the only two countries to ever win women's hockey gold at the Olympics and so the question on most people's minds after the game was whether we'll get to see these two teams square off again. The answer? Yes. The way that the semifinals are set up, we could be in store for a rematch in the gold medal game. The U.S. and Canada locked up two spots into the semifinals and will skip the quarterfinals.

The winner of the Olympic Athletes from Russia vs. Switzerland will face Canada. The United States will have an appointment with the winner of Finland vs. Sweden. 

Here's a rundown of biggest stories from the past 24 hours:

• After trailing by 0.20 seconds from her first run, Mikaela Shiffrin came back to win the women's giant slalom. It marked her long-awaited PyeongChang debut after winds continually delayed competition. Shiffrin was initially expected to contend for at least five medals but her mother said that the super-G may now be out of the cards because of the risk of fatigue. 

• Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won gold in the men's downhill, which made him the oldest Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing. He narrowly beat his compatriot Kjetil Jansrud by .12 seconds.

• German pair Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot took gold in pairs figure skating after making the jump from fourth to first. It marked Germany's first gold in the pairs since 1952.

• Pierre Vaultier defended his gold medal in the men's snowboard cross. The U.S. snowboarding medal streak took a break after Nick Baumgartner and Mick Dierdorff reached the final but did not make the podium. 

Must Watch Events

Men's figure skating (Starts at 8 p.m. ET)

Nathan Chen is must-watch. The 18-year-old seeks his first Olympic gold medal in the men's short program after falling while attempting a triple axel during the team figure skating event. Chen's biggest challenger will be reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, but he injured his ankle while practicing a quadruple jump in November. He has not competed since. Chen has beat Hanyu before. 

Men's alpine skiing (Starts at 9 p.m. ET)

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher is fresh off his gold medal in the Alpine combined event on Tuesday and is expected to compete in the super-G. Other medal contenders include Norwegians Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal.

Women's Snowboard Cross (Starts at 10:15 p.m. ET)

USA's Lindsey Jacobellis looks to put her disappointment from past Olympics behind her and win the Olympic gold medal that has eluded her for years.  

Men's Hockey (Starts at 10:10 p.m. ET)

The United States men look to rebound after their loss to Slovenia in their opening game when they take on Slovakia.

Tweet of the day

Daily Reading and Videos

• Alice Park on the five tries for Aljona Savchenko's golden moment

• Tim Layden on Mikaela Shiffrin and the serendipitous intersection of talent and passion and time

• Before USA takes on Slovenia, Eric Single looks at what's next for the men's hockey team

Athlete to Root For

U.S. snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is still seeking her first Olympic gold medal. This marks her fourth Olympics and she's the most decorated woman in snowbaord cross history with 10 X Games gold medals and five world titles. She made her first Olympics at 20 years old in 2006 and was considered a favorite to make the podium. She looked dominant in her heat races and then fell in the final as a result of going for some style points. She still managed to win the silver medal in Torino. She is in the medal conversation in PyeongChang but will face stiff competition from 2014 Olympic champion Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic.