2014 Sochi Olympics

SOCHI—The United States got four goals from T.J. Oshie in an eight-round shootout to defeat Russia by a final score of 3-2 on Saturday to move atop Group A in the Olympic hockey tournament.In a game that will rival any of the best hockey games you’ve ever seen, the United States prevailed in a shootout that was as good as the game that preceded it. Because of IIHF rules, after the first three shooters a player can take another turn so after the third round, USA coach Dan Bylsma just kept going back to Oshie and time and time again he delivered. Finally in the eighth round after Jonathan Quick stopped Ilya Kovalchuk, Oshie beat Sergei Bobrovsky for a fourth time to seal the USA win.After the first period the game was scoreless but Russia drew first blood in the second period when Pavel Datsyuk split the American defense and beat Quick from the slot on the rush. At that point, Russia was pretty well in control of the game.Penalties against Russia allowed the US to get back into the game as the power play was strong for the Americans. The USA got the equalizer later in the second period when James van Riemsdyk found a chraging Cam Fowler and his pass went off Fowler’s skate and into the net.In the third period the United States struck again on the power play when Patrick Kane found Joe Pavelski on the back door for a one-timer to give the US a 2-1 lead. That lead didn’t last long though as a Dustin Brown penalty put Russia on the power play again for the fifth time in the game and that’s when Datsyuk scored his second of the game to tie it up.Minutes later it looked like Russia took the lead on a goal from Fedor Tyutin but after review the goal was waved off. The net came off its moorings a few seconds earlier ever so slightly when Quick made a sliding save attempt and in the international game, if the net is off its position at all, goals are no good. It was a huge break for the Americans but in the international game it was the right call.The United States had one last power play to end regulation but couldn’t convert, carrying it over into the five-minute overtime session. Patrick Kane had the best chance of the OT when he sprung free on a breakaway attempt but was unable to beat Bobrovsky five hole. The game would go to the shootout where it was the Oshie show for the USA against Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk for Russia.Quick recevied the start for the USA in the second straight game and was phenomenal. He stopped 29 of 31 shots against Russia on the day and came up big in the shootout as well. Certainly he cemented himself as the USA’s goalie in this tournament.The fact that this game did go to a shootout will have a big impact on the standings. The USA is now a win over Slovakia away from clinching the group and earning a bye into the quarterfinal. But they only received two points instead of three, putting them behind Canada/Finland in Group B and Sweden in Group C, who all have six points. Assuming the Canada/Finland winner wins in overtime and Sweden does the same over Latvia, they will be the top two seeds. The one point in the loss does help Russia because if that Canada/Finland game ends in regulation and Russia beats Slovakia, they will earn the fourth quarterfinal spot and a bye.