Turin, Italy ? For Team USA, as a classic literary work once said – actually, it was the movie “Slap Shot” – it’s time to put on the foil and forget about Toe Blake.

The Americans’ best weapon, at this disappointing point in the Olympic hockey tournament?

The rule book. The one that’s expected to give them a back-door pass into the tourney’s medal round.

For the second time in 24 hours, Team USA lost a close 2-1 decision Sunday, this time to Sweden.

In four Olympic games, the Americans now have won but once. Their next game, the final one in the round-robin phase of the tournament, will be against Russia on Tuesday.

And even if they lose that one – quite likely, given the current offensive prowess of coach Peter Laviolette’s U.S. team – the Americans will still finish fourth in their group and are assured of a place in the next round.

The problem has been scoring. After Saturday’s close, well-played loss to Slovakia, Team USA struggled Sunday to create scoring opportunities.

U.S. Hockey coach Peter Laviolette watches his team lose, 2-1, to Sweden Sunday in Turin, Italy.

“We’re throwing a lot at the net,” said U.S. forward Doug Weight. “We’re moving our feet and fore-checking well.

“Just because we aren’t scoring goals doesn’t mean we’re not urgent. Maybe we’re playing too desperate.”

Normally trite, Weight’s trying-too-hard observation could well be applicable. Expectations for this U.S. team, thanks to its NHL pedigree, were rubber-stamped as high.

“We got all the looks that we wanted to today,” said the Mike Modano. “We basically did everything that we wanted to do but put the puck in.”

You knew that it was going to be another frustrating U.S. day when the Americans were handed two five-on-three chances in the first 28 minutes, yet failed to capitalize.

“That was pretty crucial,” Modano said.

The only thing that the U.S. squad could squeeze past Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundquist was Modano’s shot from the right circle with 2:29 left in the first period, after he had fielded Craig Conroy’s backhand pass. The Swedes were about to be whistled for a delayed penalty when Modano struck.

“You can’t question the effort,” Modano said. “There’s a fine line here between winning and losing. Those 1-0, 2-1 games are going to happen.”

The notion of Americans camped in front of the opposition’s net, however, has largely been a mirage.

“We did exactly what the game plan wanted us to do,” Modano said. “But a bounce here, a rebound there, and our standings would be pretty different.”

Modano wasn’t angling for excuses. But what he said and the frustrations that are plainly growing in the Americans are what happens when a team isn’t quite good enough.

There has been nothing wrong, for example, with Rick DiPietro’s goaltending. But when his team isn’t scoring, every error that DiPietro makes ends up in headlines.

One game remains for the U.S. squad in the five-game round-robin phase of the Olympic schedule. It won’t need a miracle this time to beat Russia. But the Russians crushed Latvia, 9-2, which tied the Americans in the opener. And Russia also owns a 5-0 triumph over the Swedes.

In the Olympic format, four teams in each of the two groupings will advance to the medal round. The No. 4 team in one division that could easily be the United States will be paired in the quarterfinals against the No. 1 team from the other division. If the United States and Latvia tie for fourth in their group, the Americans would get the medal round spot because of goal differential.

If the United States is going to play the Finns or the Canadians, doing it in the first game of the medal round is not the express lane.

If Laviolette replaces DiPietro, it will be because of the schedule, not the way that he’s played in net.

“We’re playing just good enough to lose,” defenseman Mathieu Schneider observed.

Frankly, he’ll get no arguments here.