T.J. Oshie's shootout goal and outstanding netminding by Jonathan Quick delivered a shootout victory over Russia in the Winter Games. Final score: 3-2.
Oshie, of the St. Louis Blues, scored to beat Russia in the eighth round of the shootout. On the American roster in part because of his one-on-one ability, Oshie took six of the USA's attempts, made four of them and could've scored on every one.
"I was just thinking of something else I could do, trying to keep him guessing," Oshie said. "Had to go back to the same move a couple times, but I was glad it ended when it did. I was running out of moves there."
Oshie, nicknamed "Furnace Face" because of his rosy cheeks, beamed with pride and pointed to Quick after his winner.
Given the heat the United States took for placing Oshie on the roster, the irony is almost frightening.
His goals came against Sergei Bobrovsky, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks had the best scoring chance in overtime but was denied by Bobrovsky.
Late in the third period, Russia appeared to get a potential game-winning goal by defenseman Fedor Tyutin, Bobrovsky's Jackets teammate. However, the goal was waved off because the net was off the moorings.
Both American regulation goals — by Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks' Cam Fowler — came with former Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov in the penalty box, and both erased leads created by Datsyuk, of the Detroit Red Wings.
In regulation, Quick made 29 saves. Bobrovsky had 31.
Oshie scored four times in the shootout and got the winner in the eighth round. Quick, of the Los Angeles Kings, stopped five attempts in the shootout.
"At some point, you think, 'Does he have any more moves left?' " U.S. captain Zach Parise said. "But he did a good job. ... That's hard to do, to get in a goalie's head and throw him off a little bit."
International rules allow the same player to take multiple shots after the first three rounds of a shootout, and U.S. coach Dan Bylsma leaned on Oshie.
"I think you're going to see T.J. Oshie become a household name after that display he put on," said David Backes, Oshie's Blues teammate. "The kids will be out on the pond probably in Minnesota right now, throwing a 5-hole on the goalie three or four times in a row."
Datsyuk scored in the shootout.
The fast-paced game was played in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an energized crowd.
Oshie started the shootout with a low shot between Bobrovsky's legs, and the next four shooters missed before Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the third round. Datsyuk and Kovalchuk scored in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, but Oshie tied it twice.
Datsyuk and Oshie both missed in the seventh, and Quick denied Kovalchuk again before Oshie ended it.
— Contributing: Sean Gentille, The Associated Press