Quinn Hughes scores in OT to lift Team USA to win over Sweden
The Americans are moving on to the medal round in the Olympics, after surviving a tight overtime battle against Sweden.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes scored in the 3-on-3 overtime period to lift Team USA to a quarterfinal win over Team Sweden to a 2-1 win on Wednesday, setting the stage for a semifinal matchup with Slovakia.
The teams battled to an evenly-matched scoreless draw in the first period, with Sweden edging the U.S. 11-10 in shots on goal. Sweden was able to kill off the period's lone penalty, a slash against defenseman Gustav Forsling, to keep the game at 0-0 into the first intermission.
Team USA finally scored the game's first goal more than halfway through the game during the second period, with a perfectly executed set play off the faceoff. It started with centerman Dylan Larkin winning the offensive zone faceoff, and getting the puck back to Quinn Hughes.
Brother Jack Hughes, at the right wing off the faceoff, had slipped back toward the blue line between the defensemen. Quinn sent it across to Jack, who ripped a long-range one-timer, and Larkin, who had found inside position at the net, tipped it past Sweden goaltender Jacob Markstrom to give the Americans a 1-0 lead.
Team USA outscored Sweden 20-8 in the period, but could not capitalize and grab an insurance goal, despite getting another power play.
Sweden finally made America pay for their inability to pull away with 1:31 left in regulation. Forward Lucas Raymond made a tape-to-tape cross-ice pass to Mika Zibanejad, who fired the one-timer through goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to tie it 1-1. The clock ran out with the game still tied, sending it to overtime.
For the OT winner, Quinn Hughes circled around left-to-right before pivoting back toward the high slot, creating his shooting angle, and firing a rocket of a wrist shot past Markstrom.
Among Bruins players for Team USA, defenseman Charlie McAvoy registered a shot on goal while goaltender Jeremy Swayman didn't play.
The Americans will now take on Slovakia in the semifinals, while Canada will take on Finland. The games are scheduled to take place on Friday at 10:40 a.m. EST and 3:10 p.m. EST, with the official game schedule yet to be finalized.
Meanwhile, the Team USA women's hockey club will face Canada in their gold medal game on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. EST.
