After a Team Russia turnover at the Team Canada blue line, Ryan Getzlaf scored on a breakaway with 1:31 remaining in overtime, beating goalie Sergei Bobrovsky five-hole to give Team Canada a 3-2 win at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday.
"That's the way it goes sometimes," Getzlaf said. "Those 3-on-3s, you have to take care of the puck as much as you can. We had a good change there and had an opportunity to get the puck up [the ice] and get going."
The game had each team feeling well as they head for Toronto and the start of the tournament on Saturday.
"It doesn't matter if it is exhibition or real [game]," Team Russia center Evgeni MalkIn said. "Always against Canada, it is a very important game. It was a tough game tonight, both teams played well. I liked how we played. Next time, maybe we play in [the] semifinal or final [of this tournament], I hope."
Alex Ovechkin and Artemi Panarin scored third-period goals to give Team Russia a 2-1 lead.
But John Tavares used a speculative shot from distance to beat a screened Bobrovsky and tie it 2-2 with 6:02 remaining in the period. It was one of the few mistakes made by Bobrovsky, who made 45 saves and likely cemented his position as Team Russia's No. 1 for the tournament.
"It was interesting," Bobrovsky said. "It's always a big challenge when you play against Canada, they have so many great players. It's very interesting to test yourself against them."
Patrice Bergeron scored Team Canada's first goal on a spectacular pass from Sidney Crosby, the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins playing at his home arena.
Team Canada goalie Carey Price was not tested as much, making 24 saves.
Price was not happy with his first World Cup start, when he allowed three goals on 24 shots to Team USA. He said he wanted more work and more minutes to shake off the rust accumulated during a 10-month layoff after injuring his knee in a game with the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 25.
"I felt better, but it was not perfect," he said.
Ovechkin scored at 3:40 of the third period on a two-man advantage. Evgeni Malkin won the faceoff to Panarin, who fed it to Ovechkin for a one-timer.
Panarin scored at 7:25 of the third, sweeping home the rebound of a tricky shot by Evgeny Dadonov.
Goal of the game: The first goal was an absolute work of art. Crosby gained the Team Russia zone with speed and then stopped abruptly, drawing two defenders to him. He then threaded a backhand pass through their sticks onto the blade of hard-charging Bergeron, who took a couple of strides before his backhand appeared to surprise Bobrovsky at 8:49 of the first period.
Save of the game: Tied 2-2, it appeared Team Canada forward Brad Marchand had the go-ahead goal on his stick with a little more than four minutes remaining in the third period after Bergeron sprung him with a brilliant pass, but Bobrovsky waited out Marchand and was able to get his glove on the shot when it finally came.
Unsung moment of the game: Team Russia had a power play late in the second period after Steven Stamkos took a cross-checking penalty. Pavel Datsyuk of Team Russia beat Getzlaf on the faceoff and got the puck to Ovechkin for a one-timer. That shot was blocked by Getzlaf, but the puck ricocheted right back to Ovechkin, who shot again only to have Getzlaf block it again to blunt the chance before the buzzer sounded.
They said it
"It's great, but mistakes can cost you a goal. We didn't put the puck deep, turned it over at the blue line, and obviously it's kind of 50-50, it's like a penalty shot." -- Alex Ovechkin on 3-on-3 overtime and what happened on the goal by Ryan Getzlaf
"I work against Sid in practice every day. I know he is quick and has a strong stick. I know what he does. He's tough." -- Evgeni Malkin on his faceoff battles against Pittsburgh teammate Sidney Crosby
"Special teams are the hardest thing to get on the same page with because a lot of that is confidence and the ability to read each other ahead of time. We're working on it and getting better every game." -- Getzlaf after Team Canada went 0-for-4 on the power play and allowed a 5-on-3 goal
Need to know: Team Canada forward Ryan O'Reilly played despite joining camp less than 24 hours earlier as the replacement for injured Tyler Seguin. O'Reilly played 13:06 on a line with Claude Giroux and Joe Thornton. … Team Canada forward Matt Duchene was expected to play but sustained a minor injury at practice Tuesday. He is expected to be ready for the start of the tournament. … Defenseman Jake Muzzin and goalie Braden Holtby were the other scratches for Team Canada. … Team Russia scratched forward Vladislav Namestnikov, defenseman Nikita Nesterov and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
What's next
Team Russia: Plays its first tournament game against Team Sweden in Toronto on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVA Sports).
Team Canada: Opens tournament play against Team Czech Republic in Toronto on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ESPNEWS, SN, TVA Sports).
via WCH2016.com.
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