U.S. backs into medal round
TURIN, Italy – It’s one thing to go into the medal round of the Olympic hockey tournament through the back door, like Team USA has done.
It’s another thing go through the back door falling backwards as the Americans are doing after another loss, this one, 5-4 to the Russians Tuesday night at Palasport Olimpico.
“We’re 1-3-1, but there is a lot of belief in that locker room,” said American forward Doug Weight. “We’re not ready to go home.”
Pack the bags. Unless this team figures out its special teams and suddenly gets quicker to the puck and quicker up ice by Wednesday afternoon, it’s over. The U.S. will face Finland (5-0) with Flyers’ goalie Antero Niittymaki in net.
Team USA never quit and twice came back on the Russians in the third period to tie only to lose the game on a bad goal – a 60-foot slap slot from Alexei Kovalev.
“They played well in front of me,” said Robert Esche, the other Flyers goalie who made his Olympic debut. “One of those games with very opportune goals. I wasn’t happy with that last goal. I think I was off my angle … definitely not happy about that last goal.”
The Americans trailed 3-1 in the third, tied it, then Evgeni Malkin gave Alexander Ovechkin a great pass for a 3-on-3 goal. The Americans tied the score again on a goal from Erik Cole midway into the period. Kovalev’s game-winner came a minute later.
“Our destiny was already determined, but we still have a lot of things to sort out and prove on our team,” said Flyers forward Mike Knuble. “We were down, but we did fight back. It’s been frustrating for guys not getting goals, but it has to be forgotten tomorrow. We have our work cut out of us.”
Even though Team USA scored three power-play goals in seven chances, they also allowed two short-handed goals (one penalty expired as the goal was scored) in the first period. Unlike in the loss to Sweden, the United States opened up the ice on the power play, spreading out its forwards and generating shots from up high with traffic in front.
“The two short-handed goals is not a good feeling,” said Weight.
On the first goal at 9:27, Keith Tkachuk, who was supposed to be in front of the net, was up high between the circles as Chris Drury was hovering near the point. He turned the puck over to Alexander Korolyuk, who broke free for a backhand-forehand goal that made it 1-0 just as the power play expired.
A little more than a minute later, Mathieu Schneider lost the puck to Maxim Sushinsky, who banked a pass off the right boards to Malkin, the Penguins sensational prospect, who went 2-on-1 to the net with Darius Kasparaitis. Esche took Kasparaitis as American defenseman Brian Rafalski fell into the net with the puck off Malkin’s stick. Down 2-0 on two U.S. power plays, it was an embarrassing start.
The Americans’ only goal that period came with the man advantage at 18:38 when Brian Rolston drove the slot off the faceoff draw to get a pass from Craig Conroy and sent the puck under the crossbar.
The Americans lack of quickness off the rush was evident. Whatever odd-man rushes they got, usually dissipated by the time the puck was in the zone. Still, they kept coming back on the Russians.
Esche gave up a bad goal 15 minutes into the second period as Andrei Markov beat him high, glove side from atop the right circle off a Russian rush, making it 3-1.
The early minutes of the game saw the USA blow several chances to score.
American forward Jason Blake twice had a 2-on-1 rush against goalie Evgeni Nabokov and twice he muffed the play, shooting wide of the net in the opening minute and then botching a perfect centering pass from Tkachuk.
Four minutes later, Bill Guerin one-timed an open shot from 6 feet into the glass.