SOCHI, Russia -- Finland eliminated Russia from the Olympic mens hockey tournament with a 3-1 victory Wednesday, putting a stunning end to the Russians enormous expectations at home. Ben Davies Jersey . Teemu Selanne scored an early goal and Tuukka Rask made 37 saves as Finland crushed the Russians dreams of winning hockey gold in front of their own fans. Russian teams have won eight gold medals in hockey, but none in the last 22 years. Selanne and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist for the steady Finns, who overcame an early deficit and silenced the Bolshoy Ice Dome with two goals in the first period. Despite its roster of high-priced offensive stars, Russia couldnt score in the final 52 minutes after Ilya Kovalchuks early power-play goal. Finland will face top-seeded Sweden in the semifinals on Friday. Russia has failed to win a medal in three straight Olympics since 2002, and even home-ice advantage couldnt end the embarrassing drought. A quarter-final exit is excruciating for the proud Russian team, which pressed relentlessly and fruitlessly in the third period after falling behind by two goals. After the final buzzer, several Russian players stood on the ice with their hands on their knees. Evgeni Malkin, who failed to score a goal in the last four games, dropped to one knee before captain Pavel Datsyuk led the traditional post-game handshake line. The Russians then gathered at centre ice amid more jeers and whistles than cheers, mournfully raising their sticks to salute the fans before skating off the ice at an arena built to herald Russias return to hockey dominance. Alex Ovechkin, the reigning NHL MVP and one of the Sochi Games most public faces, failed to score another goal for Russia after scoring on his first shot just 1:17 into Russias opener against Slovenia. Malkin, the Russians other former NHL MVP, also didnt score a goal after the first four minutes of the opener. Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk all hailed Russias home Olympics as the most important tournament of their careers, but theyll likely have only bitter memories. Russia didnt play horribly in Sochi, winning three of its five games, but lost a painful eight-round shootout to the U.S. team before falling behind early and failing to catch up against steady Finland. Semyon Varlamov allowed all three goals on 15 shots against the Finns before getting pulled for Sergei Bobrovsky during the second period. Juhamatti Aaltonen scored the first goal for Finland, the most consistently successful Olympic team in the last two decades, winning medals in four of the past five games. Russian fans realized the importance and peril of this game, filling the Olympic park early in the afternoon with cheers, chants and Russian flags. The Bolshoy crowd began chanting "Ro-ssi-ya!" even before pre-game warm-ups, waving hundreds of flags and banners emblazoned with hometowns and slogans. The tone was uncommonly intense from the opening faceoff. After Granlund took an early holding penalty in the offensive zone, captain Pavel Datsyuk fed Kovalchuk for a hard shot over Rasks shoulder. Kovalchuk popped the water bottle off the top of Finlands net and celebrated with a two-footed leap into the air amid ecstatic cheers. But moments later, Aaltonen made a beautiful move along the goal line, putting a shot under Varlamovs glove arm for the KHL forwards first goal in Sochi. Bolshoy got quiet, and it became positively funeral-like late in the period when Granlund moved up the boards, broke past two defencemen and fed Selanne for the Finn captains 22nd goal in a record-tying six trips to the Olympics. The 43-year-old Selanne extended his own record for the oldest player to score in an Olympics. Finland scored again on the power play early in the second, with Granlund collecting Selannes rebound and sliding in a backhand from a sharp angle. Granlund, who turns 22 in a week, hadnt been born when Selanne played in his first Olympics in 1992. Russia put together an impressive offensive stretch after Bobrovsky came on, with Rask forced to make a big save on Alexander Semins breakaway. The Russians continued to press in the third period, outshooting Finland 14-5, but Rask made big saves when his teammates didnt block Russias shots. Dozens of fans lingered in their seats long after the team left the ice, disconsolately folding their flags and staring at the ice. A few Finnish fans near centre ice even went up to a group of Russian fans for a hug. Dele Alli Hotspur Jersey .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Kyle Walker-Peters Jersey . The weekend at Oriole Park has been less kind, with three players suffering varying degrees of injury. The worst ailment of the three, at least optically, is the deep bone bruise suffered by Adam Lind when he fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning of Saturdays game. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/Women-Serge-Aurier-Tottenham-Hotspur-Jersey/ .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Packers by 3RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 7-4, Green Bay 5-5-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 5-5.NEW ORLEANS - Tyreke Evans and his New Orleans teammates took notice when they saw Houston coach Kevin McHale sub out his entire starting lineup early in the third quarter.The Pelicans saw it as a chance to earn some extra rest of their own.We brought it in the huddle and just said, Keep putting the pressure on them, dont stop being aggressive, Evans recalled. We did that. We got a big lead where we could sit down and rest.Ryan Anderson scored 22 points, Evans added 21 and New Orleans routed the Rockets 111-83 on Friday night.Dante Cunningham added 13 points for New Orleans, which led by as much as 32 in the second half.Omer Asik grabbed 11 rebounds, and Anthony Davis accounted for three of the Pelicans eight blocked shots.We made the right plays defensively and it led to easy points, Anderson said. We just controlled the game for 48 minutes.Dwight Howard scored 12 points and James Harden had 11 for Houston, all in the first half. None of Houstons starters scored in the third quarter.We didnt have any effort tonight, any concentration, McHale said. We were terrible tonight. They came out and just kicked our tails up one side and down the other. We didnt come to play.Howard said he had no clue when asked if McHale wanted to send a message by benching his starters early in the third quarter, or whether the coach sought to rest top players for Saturday nights home date against Miami with the game in New Orleans showing signs of getting out of hand.When asked his opinion of the move, Howard said: Weve got to get ready for the next game.Corey Brewer scored 12 points for the Rockets, and Donatas Motiejunas had 10.Jimmer Fredette scored 10 points and sent a charge through the crowd with a fast-break lob to Austin Rivers for an alley-oop dunk that even brought Davis out of his seat on the bench.New Orleans shot 53 per cent (44 of 83). Houston missed its first five shots and wound up shooting 39.8 per cennt (35 of 88), including 20. Juan Foyth Jersey. 7 per cent (6 of 29) from 3-point range.It was Houstons first game this season in which it never led.Andersons first 3 — also his fifth field goal on six shots — put the Pelicans up 38-22 early in the second quarter.Anderson and Evans combined to hit 14 of 19 shots and score 32 points in the first half, helping the Pelicans to a 59-42 lead.When the second half began, Josh Smith missed a 3, Trevor Ariza turned the ball over and then Patrick Beverly was called for a foul on Luke Babbitt, whose free throws put the Pelicans up by 23 just 1:31 into the period. Thats when McHale yanked his starters.TIP-INSRockets: Officials had to call timeout in the first quarter when Motiejunas showed them a deep red scratch across the underside of his forearm. The Lithuanian 7-footer complained of the injury, which trainers covered with a bandage, shortly after being called for a foul while tangled up with Davis in the paint. ... During the eight minutes Howard played in the first quarter, he attempted only one shot, an alley-oop dunk of Motiejunas lob.Pelicans: The Pelicans 28-point margin of victory was the largest in franchise history against the Rockets. ... The Pelicans are 11-1 when blocking seven or more shots. ... One of Andersons three 3-pointers was ruled good when Howard was called for goaltending.HAPPPY COACHNew Orleans coach Monty Williams was pleased with the Pelicans dominant victory on the heels of a discouraging overtime loss at San Antonio two nights earlier, when his team lost a lead in the final second of regulation.To be able to play against a playoff team thats going to contend for a championship that way after what happened to us the other night says a ton about character and resiliency, Williams said. Our guys came focused and flushed what happened the other day.UP NEXTRockets: Host Miami on Saturday.Pelicans: Host Washington on Monday. ' ' '