Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.
• Slovakia topped Germany in the Olympic playoff round, which sets up a quarterfinal date with the U.S. men Tuesday night (11:10 p.m. ET; USA Network, Peacock) [NBC Olympics]
• Meanwhile, Wednesday night (11 p.m. ET; NBC, Peacock) will see the U.S. and Canada women go for gold once again. [NBC Olympics]
• U.S. captain Kendall Coyne Schofield on the matchup: “There’s no bad game, every game’s a great game. These are the games that we live for, these are the games that we dream for, so every time we get an opportunity to play a game at the Olympic Games, it’s a special one.” [Team USA]
• Also on Wednesday, Jack Eichel will make his debut with the Golden Knights. [PHT]
• Why the Tyler Toffoli trade to Calgary is a move that works for both the Flames and Canadiens. [Sportsnet]
• Jordan Kyrou’s stock continues to rise this season with the Blues. [NHLPA]
• Mike Matheson has started to exceed expectations a year after being part of the Patric Hornqvist trade to Florida. [Pensburgh]
• How helping the goalies can help Lindy Ruff help himself and the Devils during this down season. [All About the Jersey]
• Ranking the top fantasy hockey surprises of the 2021-22 NHL season. [NBC Sports Edge]
• Why the Wild should make Joel Eriksson Ek the heartbeat of their power play. [Zone Coverage]
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.