Jaroslav Halak gets mobbed by his Slovak teammates after beating Sweden to advance to the Olympic semifinals. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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The Canadiens' Olympians went into quarterfinal play four strong. When all was said and done, only one man was left standing. 

That was Jaroslav Halak, whose Slovak squad few gave a chance to against Sweden, the defending gold medallists. But, just as he and his teammates had done a few days earlier against the powerhouse Russians, they came out on top. Halak made 26 saves in the 4-3 win, propelling his countrymen into their first Olympic semifinal matchup. They’ll face another force in Team Canada.

Never the deepest team in international hockey, Slovakia has always been able to count on the likes of Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik and Zdeno Chara to go with the Zedniks, Demitras, and Satans. Unlike in previous tournaments, however, the club finally has a reliable stopper between the pipes.

Halak’s presence and efforts in goal aren’t lost on his national teammates.

“We haven’t had such quality goaltending in previous international tournaments, and that gives confidence for the rest of the team,” Miroslav Satan told IIHF.com ahead of the meeting with Sweden.

Added Hossa: “Halak is the biggest part of the team. He won two games for us in this tournament. Those two wins were his victories.”

While the Habs’ netminder continues his journey in Vancouver, the rest of his NHL-teammates-turned-Olympic-rivals are on their way home.

Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov and Yannick Weber all saw their Winter Games come to an end on Wednesday. Plekanec and Weber fell by identical 2-0 scores in their quarterfinal matchups against Finland and Team USA, respectively. Markov and the Russians were victimized by Canada in a 7-3 loss.

Plekanec finished the tournament with three points (two goals, one assist), 18 shots on goal and an even rating in five games. He was tapped for 126 shifts – the most among the Czechs – and averaged 18:25 of ice time, second-best among forwards (behind only Patrik Elias) and fourth overall on his team.

The usually dominant Markov was hardly recognizable in Vancouver. He picked up a pair of assists and was minus-1 in four appearances; his ice time balanced out to 15:45 per night over 78 shifts.

Weber, meanwhile, was held without a point, recorded one shot on goal and a minus-2 differential while averaging 8:28 per contest.

And so, as the trio heads back east, the young man who has lifted the Canadiens to many wins this season remains on the west coast. Only there, he’ll be looking to vault his team past the Canadians.

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