Olympic viewing guide: The big hockey game and other things to watch on the final day

 This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Get up to speed on what's happening at the Olympics by subscribing here.

Only a handful of golds remain up for grabs before we say *arrivederci* to Milano-Cortina on Sunday. But that includes the biggest one of them all.

So, for our final viewing guide, let's talk about the big hockey game and then go through everything else to watch before the flame goes out.

It's time: Canada vs. the U.S. for the men's hockey gold

It just had to come down to this.

Since their two electric showdowns at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off — bookended by three fights in the first nine seconds of their preliminary matchup in Montreal and Connor McDavid's OT winner in the championship final in Boston — Canada and the United States have been on a collision course for the Olympic title game in Milan. And now, it's actually, finally, here. The rival men's hockey superpowers face off for the marquee gold medal of the Milano-Cortina Games on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET.

For a matchup that feels so preordained, this one came dangerously close to not happening. After both teams cruised through the group stage undefeated and untested, Canada needed two frantic comebacks to get past Czechia and Finland in the playoffs, with Mitch Marner and Nathan MacKinnon playing the heroes in overtime. The U.S. also had trouble in the quarterfinals, giving up a late tying goal to Sweden before Quinn Hughes came to the rescue in OT. But the semis were a glorified sparring session for the Americans, who trounced Slovakia 6-2 (Finland crushed the Slovaks 6-1 today for the bronze medal).

While the U.S. seems to be firing on all cylinders, Canada is more than a little banged up. First and foremost on the injured list is captain Sidney Crosby, who went out with a knee injury during the quarterfinal against Czechia and did not play against Finland after attempts to fashion him a custom brace didn't work out. That does not sound promising, but head coach Jon Cooper said that Crosby skated today and there's "a chance" he plays.

Canadian defenceman Josh Morrissey got hurt in the opener, hasn't played since, and will not suit up for the final, Cooper confirmed. MacKinnon and pesky veteran Brad Marchand also appear to be playing at less than 100 per cent. Star forward Brayden Point and two-way centre Anthony Cirelli were knocked out by injuries before they could even make the trip to Italy.

And yet, Canada remains favoured to win the gold, which would be its third in a row at an Olympic Games featuring NHL players. McDavid has been fantastic in his first Olympics, racking up a tournament-high 13 points in five games and taking over the captain's C for the injured Crosby. Nineteen-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini, playing on a line with McDavid, ranks second with 10 points and leads all scorers with five goals.

The U.S. hasn't won an Olympic men's hockey title since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, losing to Canada in the finals in 2002 in Salt Lake City and in 2010 in Vancouver on Crosby's golden goal. But this is probably the best American team ever, led by the high-scoring defenceman Hughes and a host of star forwards including Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and the gritty Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady.

This one looks like a true tossup. Will Canada reassert its men's hockey supremacy? Or can the U.S. finally lay claim to having the best team on the planet? Either way, it's gonna be one hell of a game.

Other stuff to watch on Sunday

First, a heads-up that there will be a one-hour pre-game show ahead of the men's hockey final, starting at 7 a.m. ET on the CBC TV network and CBC Gem.