In overtime, the two teams traded chances, without many of them materializing into anything high-danger. That is, until Minnesota Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes took advantage of some space on the ice and wired home the overtime winner at 3-on-3. Matthews picked up an assist on the play, bringing him to six points in four games to lead the United States in scoring at the tournament thus far.
A combination of recent preliminary round results, key tiebreaker scenarios, and the remaining schedule is creating a very real possibility of an early Olympic showdown between hockey powers, one that could see Toronto Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander face off sooner than expected. Matthews' Team USA's closer-than-expected 6-3 victory over Denmark in Group C Olympic action on Saturday, combined with Team Sweden and Nylander's position in the Group B bracket, is setting up a potential intriguing game between Leafs' teammates.
The game was somewhat reminiscent to Sweden's 5-2 win over Italy earlier in the week, with the States dominating on the shot clock but suffering from some less than stellar goaltending to keep the game tight headed into the final frame. The Danes pushed the States to the point where they trailed 4-3 going into the third period, but the States kept the pressure up and eventually scored two goals to ice the game and take the 6-3 victory.
It looks good from the outside, and it looks good from the inside. There have been a lot of teams practicing today, so it was chewed up pretty good, but the ice felt pretty good. It is never going to be perfect circumstances. The ice isn't great in Toronto, either. You kind of live with it. I am sure it will get better and better throughout the tournament.
