Quinn Hughes' overtime wrist shot beats Sweden, sends Mens Usa Hockey to Olympic semifinals
Quinn Hughes scored an overtime wrist shot to beat Sweden 2-1, sending Mens Usa Hockey into the Olympic semifinals and keeping the Americans 4-0 in the tournament. The winner came in extra time and set up a Friday semifinal against Slovakia that would guarantee the U. S. at least a shot at a medal.
Mens Usa Hockey headed to semifinal vs Slovakia
Hughes’ puck left his stick and climbed past Jacob Markström’s left glove with 6: 33 left in overtime, sparking celebrations at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Hughes had received the puck atop the left faceoff circle, looked for an open teammate, then moved toward the net before unleashing the decisive wrist shot.
“It’s just a relief, ” Hughes said after the game. “I’m just really enjoying being here with the group and the guys and trying to extend it as long as we can. ” He added that he tried to create space for himself to get the shot off.
How the deciding moments played out
The Americans broke through in the second period when Jack Hughes fired from just inside the blue line and Dylan Larkin deflected the puck midair past Markström with 8: 57 left in the period for a 1-0 lead. That advantage held until Sweden pulled Markström for an extra attacker with just over one minute remaining in regulation.
Moments after the goalie came to the bench, Lucas Raymond passed cross-ice to Mika Zibanejad, who one-timed the puck into the net to force overtime. The scoreless first period featured big saves from both Markström and U. S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
After Hughes’ overtime winner, Larkin called the victory “great” but warned that the tournament was far from over, noting that Slovakia has been playing well and is dangerous. A win in the semifinal on Friday would guarantee the Americans a medal for the first time since the 2010 Winter Games; a loss would send them to the bronze-medal game.
Next: a semifinal matchup and medal stakes
Mens Usa Hockey will meet Slovakia in the semifinal on Friday. The United States enters that game 4-0 in the tournament; a victory would secure at least a silver or bronze medal and keep the American run alive. A loss would leave the team to play for bronze.
The Americans could still meet Canada in the final, a possibility that remains after Canada also won an overtime game earlier in the knockout rounds. For now, the U. S. advances to Friday’s semifinal with Hughes’ clutch shot providing the immediate lift.
