Other mistake: Just before the second period against the USSR, we see a couple of shots of the benched Soviet starting goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. His hair is dry and combed, and there is no sign of perspiration, despite having just played the whole first period. After the game is over, we see a shot of the Soviet players watching the Americans celebrate. This time Tretiak's hair is wet and his face is sweaty. Shouldn't it be the other way around (i.e., hair is wet after playing one period, then dry after sitting on the bench for two periods)?
Other mistake: The slow-motion face-off to start the third period is a neat effect, except for one problem: watch Mikhailov's stick - he hardly moves it. No hockey player can win a face-off without trying.
Other mistake: What are the odds that a small arena in Norway would use the exact same scoreboard as the arena in Lake Placid?
Chosen answer: It appears that the medal round was just a continuation of the round robin tournament. When the US deafeated Finland, it cliched the best record in the tournament. The Soviet Union had the second best record, and Sweden the third best.
Timothy Cheseborough