The US national team won the Olympic men's ice hockey title for the third time, BTA reported.
The Americans prevailed 2:1 (1:0, 0:1, 0:0, 1:0) after overtime over their neighbors from Canada after a winning goal by Jack Hughes a minute and 41 seconds into added time.
This is the first title for the US team since the "Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid in 1980 and the first with the participation of players from the National Hockey League. Thus, the USA currently holds both the most important titles in the world of hockey - the Olympic and the world.
The Americans managed to open the scoring exactly six minutes after the start of the match with their first accurate shot. Minnesota Wild forward Matthew Baldy took advantage of an unconvincing play by Canada defenseman Devon Toews, then beat goalie Jonathan Binnington with a technical backhand shot for 1:0.
By the end of the first period, physical clashes on the ice prevailed, but this was at the expense of goal opportunities, which were counted on the fingers of one hand.
The Canadians had an exceptional opportunity to equalize the score in the tenth minute of the second period, when their captain Connor McDavid was brought face to face with goalie Connor Hellebuck. However, the American goalie turned out to be the winner of this challenge and did not allow the star of the "Maple Leafs" to change it.
Within the next minute, however, two American hockey players received two-minute penalties. Jake Gentzel and Charlie McAvoy were sent to the penalty bench, and Canada could play nearly 90 seconds in a five-on-three situation. The Maple Leafs players never found their bearings and again failed to send the puck into Hellebuck's net.
Still, the positive change in the performance of John Cooper's players was visible and the game was played practically entirely in front of Hellebuck's goal.
A minute and 44 seconds before the end of the second half, Canada managed to equalize. Cale Makar was left completely uncovered on the right wing after a pass to the left and with a wrist shot into the far corner scored for 1:1.
The Americans had a chance to regain the lead almost immediately, but ten seconds before the end of the third, the post saved Canada's goal.
Shortly after the start of the final period, Canada miraculously did not reach a second goal. Defender Devon Teves fired a shot into the empty net from less than a meter away, but American guard Hellebuck, who had his back to the situation, instinctively reached out with his stick and used it to parry Teves' shot.
Ten minutes before the end of regulation time, Nathan McKinnon also missed putting Canada ahead on an empty net, and the situations in front of Hellebuck's goal followed one after another.
With six minutes left to go, Canadian forward Sam Bennett was given a penalty, which left his team with a reduced squad for four minutes.
However, the Americans did not find their bearings and not only did not score, but even conceded a penalty on their own when Jack Eichel hit Bo Horvath with a stick. The Canadians were given less than a minute to be on the ice with an extra man, but they also failed to score, and the regular 60 minutes ended at 1:1.
From the first seconds of the overtime, in which the game was three on three, both teams boldly launched an attack. However, a mistake by Canadian defenseman Cale Makar allowed the USA team to organize a counterattack, in which Jack Eichel scored the winning goal.