teams and fans, so it takes great courage on the part of

Team Europe versus Czech Republic, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN2)In a game with significant implications for Team USA, Team Europe will try to build off its shocking 3-0 victory over the Americans -- and thus move to 2-0 in the tournament -- as it takes on a Czech Republic team that was mauled 6-0 by Canada on Saturday. That score does not indicate how even the first half of the first period was nor the speed that the Czechs brought to the game. But they wilted under a relentless Canadian attack, giving up three goals in the last half of the first period. I believe we were ready to play, Czech Republic assistant coach Vaclav Prospal said after the game. But after the first goal, it almost seems like we stopped playing and started making bad plays, and they filled our net.Can Team Europe -- which played a patient, opportunistic game against the Americans, scoring three goals on just 17 shots -- force the Czechs off their game in a similar fashion? Team Europe appears to have more firepower, although the Euros were 0-for-4 on the power play against the U.S. The Czechs could not get the early goal they needed against Canada and were a grisly 0-for-6 on the power play in the opener. If theyre going to get back in the tournament, Jakub Voracek and Tomas Plekanec are going to have to get going offensively. Itll be interesting to see if the Czechs go with Petr Mrazek in net after Michal Neuvirth was thrown to the lions against the Canadians, who launched 50 shots at the Czech net. Both Mrazek and Neuvirth were very good during the pretournament schedule. Team Europe will be looking for Jaroslav Halak to continue his stellar play. The?New York Islanders?goalie stopped all 35 U.S. shots, including 17 in the third period. If Team Europe can continue its early roll and defeat the Czechs, that would force the Americans into a must-win situation against Canada on Tuesday night in order to keep their hopes of advancing beyond the three-game preliminary round alive. If the Czechs win, it sets up the much more remote possibility that the Americans could still advance via tie-breakers even with a loss to Canada.Line Watch: The expectation was that Team Europe would go only as far as captain Anze Kopitar and his linemates would take it. But the forward trio of Frans Nielsen, Marian Gaborik and Mats Zuccarello did significant damage for Team Europe, and if they can continue to contribute, it will take more pressure off Kopitar and enhances their teams chances of victory. --Scott BurnsideRussia versus Team North America, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)In their first game of group play on Sunday, Team North America played with high levels of skill, speed, offensive firepower and puck-possession -- very much like their next opponent has historically played during international tournaments. One day after announcing their arrival by crushing Finland 4-1, North America takes on a powerful and angry Team Russia. Its a fantastic test for the kids.Russia blew an opportunity to beat a Henrik Lundqvist-less Team Sweden on Sunday and now enters their game against the North Americans desperate and hacked off. Its one thing to take on Patrik Laine, who will be good in the NHL at some point in the near future. Its quite another to take on Alex Ovechkin, one of the all-timers.Team Sweden limited the Russian offense by keeping many of the shots to the outside and removing time and space. They could do that with a defense featuring Norris Trophy candidates Victor Hedman and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. North America doesnt feature a blueline of that caliber but their forwards more than made up for it by using their speed to track back and help out defensively.North America, led by McDavid, has world-class speed up and down the lineup that Russia will have issues containing. Team Russia doesnt have the most mobile defense, something the speedy forwards on Team North America should have an opportunity to exploit.This has a chance to be a high-octane shootout if both forward groups get going.Line Watch: Both teams have the disadvantage of playing back-to-back games to open group play, something that can be taxing on starting goalies Sergei Bobrovsky?of Russia and Matt Murray?of North America.?Bobrovsky was tested much more than Murray was in the opener, facing 29 shots from Sweden, making a number of good saves. Against Finland, Murray went long stretches without even seeing a shot, finishing with 24 saves, although the number of quality scoring chances wasnt incredibly high.Bobrovsky said hes ready to go but the Russians have a quality goalie in Semyon Varlamov waiting for an opportunity.?With Team North America, Murray is the clear-cut No. 1 and coach Todd McLellan announced on Monday that he will get the start against Russia.?--Craig Custance Stitched Diamondbacks Jerseys . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Arizona Diamondbacks Store ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR:Turn 1: Hendrick Motorsports hasnt had a top-10 finish in three straight Sprint Cup races for the first time since 2000. Is that a cause for concern?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Its certainly cause for concern, but better now than in September. Sometimes being in this position can be the catalyst for change, one?that helps get an organization to a different place in terms of its procedures. One thing that appears alarming: Jimmie Johnson is working hard -- too hard -- based on what Ive seen the past three weeks. Driving that hard leads to bad habits. Hendrick without the 48 is like a ship without its sail.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Yes and no. Its certainly not fun going through a drought like this, but if you go back and retrace the way recent seasons have gone for the superteams, in-season streaks and slumps are just kind of the way it is now. Remember last spring when Joe Gibbs Racing was totally lost and Hendrick couldnt be beaten? July isnt the time for panic. If this is still the case one month from now, then itll be time to start freaking out.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Yes, because as a whole, Hendrick Motorsports is no longer the gold standard among teams. Jimmie Johnson is in the Chase but hasnt looked close to winning a race in months, Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasnt been Dale Jr. (and maybe now we know why) and Kasey Kahne has been Kasey Kahne, which is to say not all that spectacular. Youd have to say that Chase Elliott has been the teams most consistently competitive entity in 2016, which suggests maybe its time for some fresh thinking at HMS.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: The cause for concern doesnt revolve around top-10s. The cause for concern: Hendrick has won only two races this year. This organization doesnt strive for top-10s. This organization strives for wins. It should have some concern but no panic -- it doesnt appear that far off and Jimmie Johnson has to experiment, as he should, for the Chase. This organization should rely on its depth and good people and have faith it will land on something that will make it more competitive with the Toyotas and Stewart-Haas Racing.Turn 2: Indianapolis Motor Speedway built a temporary dirt track for Tony Stewart inside speedway grounds a couple of weeks ago. Should IMS have a permanent one?Craven: No. This track can live on its history. It proved that in May.McGee: Yes! I believe it was one year ago this week that as part of my World Series of Motorsport idea I proposed a dirt track inside Turn 3. So ... youre welcome, America!Oreovicz: No, unless they build it outside the track in the North Forty lot. Infield spectator space is already at a premium for the Indianapolis 500, and building a permanent track at the same location in Turn 3 would use up valuable real estate. The entire infield of IMS could use a reorg, but I dont believe another racetrack should be part of the plan.Pockrass: No. Enough tracks exist in Indiana, and those tracks do a fine job in fulfilling a racing fans desire to see good short-track, dirt and asphalt racing. Indianapolis Motor Speedway should partner with those tracks for promotions so they all can energize race fans.Turn 3: Should Jeff Gordon even have considered coming back to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr., or should he not even think about getting in a Sprint Cup car again?Craven:?Jeff is the ultimate substitute for Hendrick Motorsports this weekend. Beyond Indy, I just dont know. It depends on how much he has missed it. If the desire to compete has been front and center the past six months, cool. Jeff Gordon at 44 is still better than 85 percent of tthe drivers in todays field.ddddddddddddMcGee: Im not going to be very popular with this answer, but I always wince when retired drivers come back. I love Jeff Gordon. I love the idea of Gordon winning another Brickyard 400. But theres always an uneasiness that I feel in these situations. Its no secret that some percentage of the reasoning for Gordon hanging up his helmet was that he wanted to walk away while he could still walk away. Part-time rides at high-speed racetracks, even when shared among all-time greats, always feel like they have more opportunities for downside than benefits.Oreovicz: Not my call to make, but I think he should have stayed on the sidelines. My guess is that two things swayed him: One, I doubt he would have come back at any track other than Indianapolis, or maybe a road course, and two, my suspicion is that hes doing it more to help the Hendrick team work out of its current slump than for personal gratification. I dont believe Gordon is that ex-smoker for whom one cigarette turns back into a pack-a-day habit, but if he drives this weekend at Indianapolis, I guess well find out.Pockrass: It is hard to argue with Gordon wanting to race at Indianapolis again, and no doubt Gordon and his fans (most of them, anyway) will relish him racing again at the Brickyard. Beyond that, it appears he enjoys non-racing life enough that he should definitely question whether anything he could accomplish on the track outweighs the risks of racing.Turn 4: If Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets to a point where he isnt going to make the Chase, should he just sit out the rest of the year?Craven: The Chase isnt the determining factor. Its how long do the symptoms last while you are outside the car??If they persist another three or four weeks, I would shut it down. With the offseason you would have six-plus months to heal and prepare for a solid 2017. The risk of another concussion changes the dynamic going forward. I believe you require more time the older you get -- not just because of your age, but the cumulative effect of impacts.McGee: Yes. The science of brain injuries is a complicated, highly-nuanced world. But the one treatment that everyone agrees on is that rest is a huge key to recovery. Forget 2016. Give yourself a chance to come back and run the 2017 Daytona 500 -- not to mention live the rest of your life -- at as close to 100 percent as possible.Oreovicz: Yes. As we have learned from football and other contact-intensive sports, head injuries are not to be trifled with. Rest is important, but even more critical is protecting the brain from additional blows during a period of healing. Athletes across the spectrum of sports want to play hurt out of a sense of duty to their teams and fans, so it takes great courage on the part of someone like Earnhardt to admit he might be having a problem preventing him from performing at his best. He correctly understands that his long-term quality of life is more important than winning a NASCAR championship, and if that means sitting out the rest of the season or even retiring, I hope fans will support his decision.Pockrass: Sitting out appears as the logical thing to do if doctors tell him that additional rest would help Earnhardts readiness for 2017. But the question then becomes: What does sitting out do for him mentally? If he can get over the guilt of not being in the car, and if he believes he could step into the car and perform at a high level next February without racing the rest of the year, then he should sit out. ' ' '