Finland's lone blemish during the tournament before the semifinals came in their opener, getting off to a disappointing start against this Slovakia squad.
The United States took an early lead and refused to relinquish it, getting big efforts throughout the lineup to bring an end to Slovakia's magical run, 6-2.
Leading 2-0 early in the second period, Finland saw its lead disappear behind a never-ending barrage of shots before finally Canada won in the final minute.
Breaking down some numbers that pop out through 57 games to tell the story of how the Hurricanes found themselves at the top of the division and the conference.
Three of the four quarterfinal games on Wednesday required overtime, and they all featured Canes helping their teams survive to play for some medals in Italy.