With OT win over Slovakia, USA wins Group B

12 May 2015Petr Polák»

The victory 5-4 OT over Slovakia means that regardless to score of tonight`s game between Russia and Finland, the United States go to quarterfinals from the top poistion and will play Switzerland.

The game start looked like this is going to be an one-sided action for USA. During the first four minutes and eleven seconds, U.S. shot four-times towards Jan Laco in Slovak net and scored twice. Credits there went to Ben Smith and Seth Jones.

Laco immediately left to the players` bench and let Julius Hudacek in. Although shocked team of Slovakia stopped the stint of goals, it was unable to recover from the offensive perspcetive in rest of the first period so the score at the moment of first horn was 2-0 for USA.

If Slovaks were dreaming of a better comeback to the game after the intermission, Anders Lee disabused them just after 27 seconds of the middle session: 3-0.

But altogether with a bench penalty for Team USA for playing with too many men, the comeback really came. A half minute of the powerplay was enough for Marián Gáborík to use it.

Sixty-seven seconds later, when playing even strength already, Adam Janosik made it 3-2. Just a little less than after six further minutes Vladimir Dravecky scored an equalizer. And by half of the 39th minute, Milan Bartovic turned the score over for Slovakia 3-4.

Euforia of the sellout stands filled with Slovak fans was on its maximum, however it did not last long. Yet in the second period, in the beginning of last second period`s minute, Charlie Coyle got back USA on the track, so the period and later even whole game after 60 minutes ended up with score 4-4.

When everybody was expecting shootouts will come to decide the game, Jack Eichel cut it out for good twenty eight seconds to go in the overtime and USA takes an extra point for victory 5-4 OT.

As already said above, with this win, the United States assured themselves the top position in the Group B and their opponent in quarterfinals will be Team Switzerland.

Tonight, one more game is scheduled to be played in the Group B, and it will be a direct fight for its second spot. Both teams Finland and Russia currently have 14 points and which team wins, either if after regulation, extra time or shootouts, it will take the second spot and challenge the host country of Czech Republic.

The beaten ones will play Sweden.