MILAN — The next six days can be the best six days of their lives, the 25 men of the United States hockey team who can finish the job started but not completed one year ago at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The 3-1 win over Canada a year ago Sunday briefly vaulted the sport onto a stage unlike anything it has seen in years. But avenging the 3-2 overtime loss to the same team five days later with three straight wins and Olympic gold here would give American hockey a triumph for which it has waited 46 long years.

The Americans are going to need the games of their lives. They are going to need the best six days of their lives.

When all is said and done, the single most consequential moment of this tournament may be Dalibor Dvorsky’s goal with 39 seconds left in Slovakia’s preliminary-round finale against Sweden. It made the score 5-3 for Sweden and under any other circumstance would have been utterly meaningless.