The United States gets the worst possible matchup on Friday as they take on Russia.
The Americans got off to a tremendous start with an emphatic 8-0 triumph over Germany on Thursday. The Americans got on the board just 19 seconds into the match as Sean Kuraly scored off assists from Alex Galchenyuk and Riley Barber. Jacob Trouba and Galchenyuk added to two more goals to make it 3-0 after 20 minutes. Barber added a goal 14 seconds into the second and the Americans added another two goals from Shayne Gostisbehere and Ryan Hartman to take a 6-0 lead into the final frame. JT Miller and Seth Jones added unassisted tallies to end the game 8-0.
Galchenyuk and Barber each ended the match with three points while three other players added two point matches. In total, 11 Americans registered points in the match.
Russia also won their first match, but failed to pick up three points against Slovakia on Wednesday. Nikita Kucherov scored in the first period and Alexanger Khokhlachyov added a second to give the squad a 2-0 lead midway through the second. However, Slovakia stormed back with a goal from Matus Matis in the second and a late goal from Richard Mraz to force overtime. Russia's Albert Yarullin found the net late in overtime to salvage the second point and keep Russia ahead of Slovakia in the standings.
Russia will likely pressure the Americans from the get-go and goalie John Gibson will likely face more trouble than he did in his 40 minutes against Germany.
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Prediction: This will be a strong battle, but Russia should come out on top 4-3 in Overtime.
Start Time: 9 AM EST
TV Info: TSN