Team Canada, who started a little bit shaky in their debut, will try to continue their winning ways as they take on Austria in the preliminary round of men's hockey on Friday at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The Canadians secured their first victory on Thursday, but not before their lax defense was exposed by the rough Norwegian squad. Many expected Canada to shut out Norway in their first preliminary round match, but the underdogs managed to score a goal in a 3-1 loss at Bolshoy Ice Dome.

On the other hand, Austria is coming off an 8-4 loss at the hands of Norway on Thursday. The defeat served as a wake-up call for the Austrians, who are considered one of the dark horses in the competition. With Canada looking to sustain their superiority and Austria hungry to nab their first win, Friday's showdown will surely be exciting to watch.

Drew Doughty, who also scored in Canada's victory over Norway, admitted the team struggled in the first period before they regained the form that made Canada the clear-cut favorite to win the gold for the ninth straight time.

"Kind of a bad first period, we knew we weren't going to be perfect. But the most important thing is we got better as each period went on and that's what we were looking for," Doughty told the Associated Press via the Sacramento Bee.

Canada's ace player Sidney Crosby also expressed his dismay at the rough start, but the Pittsburgh Penguins star is very much optimistic about their chances of pulling off another golden performance in Sochi.

"Every team here is good, and we know we have to get better as things go on. But I thought second and third we definitely got to our game a lot more," said the former NHL MVP and Stanley Cup winner.

Live Stream, Schedule & Scores

Coverage of Canada vs. Austria will start at 12 p.m. EST on NBC Sports while live streaming feed will be available on NBC Extra. Scores, statistics and updates are available on ESPN Sports.