The second period collapse forced Team North America to make a goalie change, chasing recent Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray out of the net and sending in John Gibson for the remainder. The team was buzzing around the offensive zone with several great scoring chances before the puck finally fell onto the stick of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to reduce to deficit to one goal with most of the final period remaining. The Calgary Flames forward had scored in three of North America’s five games, going back to pre-tournament play, and now he was streaking in alone on Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Advertisement
When the time came for coach Todd McLellan to rally his troops, he shortened the bench and turned to his most reliable players, Matthews and Rielly among them.
But a Russian team that looked like they were ready to fold up their World Cup of Hockey tent early on held fast, especially during an excruciating 1:34 of 5-on-3 for Team North America midway through the third period and then a frenzied final minute when the North Americans were once again on the power play.
Young North America was the better team Monday night, but a lopsided stretch was enough to give Russian Federation a much-needed 4-3 victory in a fast-paced, end-to-end showcase of the sport at the World Cup of Hockey.
Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Kucherov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vladimir Tarasenko scored on consecutive shots during a 6:14 stretch, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves to hand the 23-and-under mix of American and Canadian players its first loss of the tournament.
“We just lost our way for 10 minutes”, McLellan said. They had their best success when they were moving the puck around the offensive zone, and yet the majority of the time they prefer to go on individual rushes.
“I thought we looked unsure out there for the first time as a team. Slow reading, slow reacting and slow to the scoreboard”.
Auston Matthews scored his first goal at Air Canada Centre in a losing cause as Russian Federation (1-1-0) kept its World Cup hopes alive.
Russian Federation (1-1-0) scored four goals in six minutes 14 seconds in a frenetic second period, prompting North America coach Todd McLellan to pull Matt Murray in favour of John Gibson with 4:17 remaining in the period. “We had the puck all night and we let our guard down for a little bit and that’s what they’re going to do to us”, he said. “When you’re playing a team like them with all their skill and their speed, I think when they get a few and they get the momentum, it’s hard to get it back”. We didn’t get that quick enough.
“Obviously we knew what we had to do and the point sealed the first spot in the group”, he said. “But he’s a guy that’s important to our team and as you see tonight, we’ve missed him”.
It wasn’t the result North America wanted, but a furious third-period comeback showed that it didn’t lose confidence.
“Those first two minutes there was probably the most embarrassing part that I’ve ever been a part of on a team”, said Erik Karlsson, who hauled down Gaudreau leading to the penalty shot. Maybe. If we don’t, we feel good about the group we have. North America is calling it an upper-body injury, but an NHL source said he was following league protocol by sitting out Monday’s game with symptoms consistent with a mild concussion.
Ekblad, 20, was run into the glass by Leo Komarov during the Team North America match up with Team Finland. However, Russia was limited to chances mostly from the outside and Matt Murray was able to control the pace of the period.
“I think some hockey god got on our side, and we just got good luck”, said Kuznetsov, who made a “FIFA” inspired wing-flapping celebration after his goal.
Once North America got its composure and the puck back, it continued to bombard Bobrovsky with shots.
Advertisement
“Unfortunately, when it goes into the record books, all 60 count”, McLellan said. Murray faced 19 shots on the night.
