2017 World Championship. Group stage. Russia - USA - 3:5

In Cologne, the senior Russian national team took on the USA for the final 2017 World Championship group stage match. Head coach Oleg Znarok made only the one change, reinstating Andrei Vasilevskiy in net instead of Ilya Sorokin. Jimmy Howard was America's starting goaltender.

Taking the Russians offguard, the USA made a fast start. The Americans registered sixteen shots on target during the first period alone, testing Andrei Vasilevskiy from any angle possible. Nick Bjugstad came closest to a goal, wristing a goalbound effort against the netminder's blocker. However, despite being outplayed, Russia made the breakthrough. Nikita Gusev was the hero, beating Jimmy Howard when clean through. 

Unfortunately, the USA made their dominance count early in the second on the powerplay. Andrei Vasilevskiy made a fantastic point blank range save, but he was helpless to stop Kevin Hayes from taking advantage of the rebound. Nevertheless, Russia had the perfect response. Anton Belov gave the team a second lead, lashing in a powerful slap shot. 

To our disappointment, the opponents managed to reply. Dylan Larkin tied the game for a second time, wristing firmly into the left corner. Nikita Gusev scored on the powerplay not long later, but Kevin Hayes made it 3:3 before the period was out.

The next goal was always going to be crucial, and it was the USA who netted it in the third period. Escaping his markers, Anders Lee tapped beyond Andrei Vasilevskiy with Evgeny Kuznetsov in the penalty box. That goal arrived with just 07:03 left to play. Russia pulled Andrei Vasilevskiy for the extra skater in the closing stages, but that only resulted in Brock Nelson icing it. 3:5, Russia finish in second place of Group A and will face either Finland or the Czech Republic in the quarter-final stage.

Match protocol:

Russia - USA - 3:5 (1:0, 2:3, 0:2)

Goals:

1:0 Gusev (Kiselevich), 12.29

1:1 Hayes (Nelson, Keller), 21.00

2:1 Belov (Plotnikov, Andronov), 27.33

2:2 Larkin (Nelson), 32.18

3:2 Gusev (Shipachyov, Dadonov), 36.15

3:3 Hayes (Gaudreau, Bjugstad), 37.43

3:4 Lee (Gaudreau, Eichel), 52.57

3:5 Nelson (Larkin), 59.38

Goalkeepers: Vasilevskiy - Howard

Shots on target: 19 - 35 

Penalty minutes: 16 - 8 

16.05.2017. Cologne, Germany.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation