What happened to the Americans?  Maybe it was all over after the second penalty shot. Patrick Kane, one of America’s biggest offensive threats was handed two penalty shots in Saturday’s bronze medal game in Sochi against Finland, and he failed to score on either.The first came from a call against Finland’s Kimmo Timonen, who shot a broken stick at Ryan Kesler as he came down the side boards, bumping the puck off course. On the ensuing solo penalty shot attempt, Kane lost control of the puck – it rolled off his stick – as he went to the backhand on his deke against Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask. Kane’s second try was after he’d had his own stick slashed on a breakaway attempt. That one hit the outside of the post, adding to the US hatred of vertical metal in these Games.  Those two penalty shot failures were probably discouraging for the Americans, who walked into this game no doubt depleted and dispirited after losing the contest that counted most to them just a day earlier against Canada. Perhaps it was no surprise they didn’t show up the way their coach expected them to.  Fairly, they managed to hold the Finns to a 0-0 first period, but when the goals started going in against them, the mental breakdown just seemed to take over. In short, they just didn’t show up Saturday.  But of course, looking only at the US play or psychological state would be taking too much away from the Finns, who were the second, and more immediate, reason both were even in question. Finland proved once again they put together a very strong team for the Olympics. They, better than the Canadians had Friday, kept the US offense at bay, and – as they had done against Canada – used a frustrating defensive style and just quashed the Americans into submission.  Then there was Teemu Selanne, the ageless wonder, now in his sixth Olympics, who capitalized first on the hard work of his team, back-handing in the first goal of the afternoon early in the second period. He opened the floodgates and, with the help of guys like Mikael Granlund – who, by the way, made a very good name for himself in these Games – quickly and efficiently broke down the US.  Or, as a friend texted to me afterward to sum it up: “One team cared. One team didn’t.”  When Russia or Canada loses like the Americans did in international play, there’s a national crisis, followed by a long, laborious conversation about the State of Hockey and what can be done to solve whatever problems seem to exist. Sometimes that’s worth doing - when you’re clearly inferior to the rest of the world with whom you normally compete. Sometimes, though, it’s just a matter of chalking it up to the game, and the more immediate context than some grander breakdown of the national sports program.  So which conversation do the Americans need to have now? Perhaps one about Hockey in the USA, involving questions about how to create and foster solid defencemen? Or is it just one about the structure of this particular team, and whether it was built correctly for this tournament? Or was it just this game?  In other words, is it time to panic?
Though the team was still reeling from its loss to Canada, the Americans’ inability to stave off a shellacking is a sign to worry