Tomas Tatar: Quinn Hughes' OT goal sends U.S. to Olympic men's hockey semis

tomas tatar — Quinn Hughes ripped the game-winning shot a few minutes into overtime that hit the post and banked into the net, giving Team USA a 2-1 overtime victory over Sweden in the Olympic men's hockey quarterfinals and sending the Americans into a semifinal against Slovakia.

Tomas Tatar and a night of three overtimes

The quarterfinal round was razor-close: after Slovakia blasted Germany 6-2, the next three games went into overtime. Canada escaped Czechia 4-3 with Jordan Binnington making several key saves down the stretch, and Finland mounted a late comeback to beat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime. tomas tatar

Quinn Hughes' sudden-death strike

The nightcap between the U. S. and Sweden stayed tense through regulation. Sweden’s Mika Zibanejad tied the game with less than two minutes left, forcing a sudden-death, 10-minute 3-on-3 overtime period. A few minutes into that extra period, Quinn Hughes found an opening, unleashed a wicked shot that struck the post and deflected into the net, and was swarmed by his teammates after the winner.

Semifinals set, and other Olympic highlights

With the victory, the United States advances to face Slovakia in the semifinal on Friday. Canada will meet Finland for a chance to reach the gold medal game. Outside of hockey, Mikaela Shiffrin won the slalom with a combined time of 1: 39. 1 — 1. 5 seconds clear of silver — and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo took another gold, bringing his total at these Games to five; he could win a sixth in the 50-kilometer mass start on Saturday. tomas tatar

Team USA’s next confirmed game is the semifinal against Slovakia on Friday; the other semifinal between Canada and Finland will determine the opponent for the gold medal game.