The Russians won the group in pool play, earning a bye into the medal-round quarterfinals. Before a boisterous crowd waving Russian flags, the Russians beat the U.S. 4-0 in the final game of pool play at the Pyeongchang Winter Games. Nikolai Prokhorkin scored the team’s first two goals, and former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk scored the last two to give the Russians their second consecutive victory at Gangneung Hockey Centre. The Russians finished pool play 2-1, while the U.S. went 1-1-1.
The U.S. entered the game atop the Group B standings with four points and could have earned a bye to the quarterfinals with a victory in regulation or overtime. Instead, the loss gave the Olympic Athletes from Russia two points and vaulted them to the top of the pool.
