Halfway through the first period, the Russians found themselves in a 2-0 hole. However, after a dominant second period they led 4-2, then they added a couple of late empty-net goals to beat the USA 6-2 in their first game of the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Alexander Pashin scored their first two goals to even the score and Bogdan Treneyev scored the next two to put them ahead.
Penalties: 0:0. PP goals: 0:0. SH goals: 0:0.
Report
Team USA was creating a lot of chances in the early minutes of the game. They did pretty well in dangerous areas around the net and that is why they scored first. Yaroslav Askarov could not make a save on a shot from the captain Jake Ratzlaf just after the first power play of the game ended.
The Americans successfully used their speed to approach the net. The second goal was scored by Blake Biondi after he tried to surprise Askarov with a backhand attempt.
After the first intermission, the Russians made a huge improvement in their offensive play. They were unstoppable. Skilled Alexander Pashin tied the game with two goals and Pavel Tyutnev scored the go-ahead marker with a forehand deke on a breakaway.
The players in white jerseys were simply faster then their opponents and they reached the net easily. Nikita Buruyanov hit the post in 32nd minute and, after a while, the puck redirected in off the skate one of the U.S. defencemen and credited to Bogdan Trineev.
The Americans tried hard in the last period but they couldn't score because of Askarov. After a series of power plays on both sides, the Russians scored again. Buryanov buried their fifth with a backhand spin-o-rama. Finally, an empty-netter was scored by Daniil Gushchin 23 second before the siren ended game. Russia outpowered the USA 6-2.