Hellebuyck stood tall as USA beat Sweden in OT to reach Olympic semifinal

Connor hellebuyck made 29 saves to help the United States edge Sweden 2-1 in Wednesday’s Olympic men’s hockey quarterfinal in Milan, sending the No. 2 seed into a semifinal against No. 3 Slovakia on Friday.

Quinn Hughes delivered the game-winner in sudden-death overtime to secure the victory, capping a tense match that moved to extra time after Sweden tied the game late in regulation. Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the U. S. with a second-period goal, giving Team USA a lead it held for most of regulation.

Sweden pulled its goaltender for a 6-on-5 attacker and Mika Zibanejad converted from the slot with 1: 31 remaining in regulation to knot the game at 1-1 and force overtime, which at the Olympics is played 3-on-3 to sudden death.

Hellebuyck’s night: 29 saves on 30 shots

Hellebuyck stopped 29 of 30 shots, a performance that kept the U. S. ahead for long stretches; Sweden’s Jacob Markström faced 40 shots and finished with 38 saves. Hellebuyck’s early work included keeping Sweden off the board through the first 58: 29 of regulation time.

Overtime drama and a tight quarterfinal slate

Overtime produced the decisive moment when Quinn Hughes ripped a shot that found the net for a 2-1 sudden-death win. The quarterfinal round in Milan was dramatic overall: three of four games went to overtime, with Canada beating Czechia 4-3 and Finland defeating Switzerland 3-2 in extra time, while Slovakia topped Germany 6-2 in the other quarterfinal.

What’s next: USA faces Slovakia in the semifinal

The second-seeded U. S. will meet No. 3 Slovakia in Friday’s semifinal, while No. 1 Canada plays No. 4 Finland in the other semifinal; winners of those games advance to the gold medal match. Team USA’s path now hinges on that Friday matchup in the Olympic semifinal round.