Montreal Canadiens' winger Juraj Slafkovsky saw his gold medal crumble in a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Team USA on Friday, but he's turned his focus to the bronze medal rather than wallow in self-pity.
It’s fair to say that up to Friday’s semifinal, Slovakia had been the Cinderella story of these Olympics, but the fairy tale ended yesterday with a stark 6-2 defeat at the hands of Team USA. The Americans were simply too strong for Montreal Canadiens’ winger Juraj Slafkovsky and his countrymen. Unlike Canada, which booked its place in the gold medal game with a last-minute goal, Team USA dominated the game from start to finish.
Dylan Larkin scored the first goal of the game after less than five minutes, and Tage Thompson doubled the Americans’ lead with a power play tally with less than a minute to go in the first frame. By the halfway point of the game, Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel had also found the back of the net, and Slovakia’s coach elected to pull Samuel Hlavaj. Most likely because he wanted him fresh for Saturday’s bronze medal game. The change had little effect on proceedings, and Hughes scored another goal before the end of the second period, making it 5-0 USA.
Slafkovsky gave a glimmer of hope to his side, scoring from the high slot early in the final frame, taking the space he was given and picking his spot to put Slovakia on the board. It was his fourth goal of the tournament, and his 11th career Olympic goal, giving him sole possession of second place in Slovakian history, passing Miroslav Satan, who had 10. He now needs three goals to tie the all-time leader, Marian Hossa.
Brady Tkachuk added a sixth goal for the USA before San Jose Sharks forward Pavol Regenda scored a second goal for Slovakia. Final score: 6-2, Team USA. There was a bit of rough stuff to finish the game as Tkachuk and his brother Matthew got under Erik Cernak’s skin, which is just second nature for them, and all three received a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It’s also worth mentioning that Thompson didn’t finish the game for Team USA; he sat out the third frame, but coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that it was for precautionary reasons.
Slafkovsky saw 17 minutes of action in the game, took two shots, scored a goal, and finished his night with a minus-one differential. Despite facing much stronger opposition than he had since the start of the Olympic tourney, he was still his country’s best player. After the game, the youngster wasn’t down in the dumps, telling the media:
We’re going to get a good sleep, we’re going to wake up with a smile on our faces tomorrow, and we’re going to go do it.
There’s no doubt that they would have preferred playing for gold on Sunday, but a bronze medal would still be a very impressive feat for the Slovaks. While they did win bronze four years ago, winning it again in a much tougher tournament featuring NHL players would mean a lot to the country, and that's an exciting opportunity for Slafkovsky and co.
It won’t be an easy game. The Finns will want to avenge the 4-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Slovaks in the tournament’s first game. Slafkovsky finished that game with two goals and an assist, while goaltender Hlavaj stood on his head, stopping 39 of 40 shots. With a hat trick, Slafkovsky could catch up to Hossa in Slovak history, but that’s a tall order against a country that’s got a very good defence.
The Finns were also livid about how the game ended against Canada; they didn’t appreciate the high-stick penalty they got in the dying minutes, arguing that the call came from Nathan MacKinnon’s reaction rather than the high stick since the referees hadn’t seen it. Still, sitting back on a 2-0 lead and taking only nine shots in the last two frames was their downfall, and there’s no doubt they will have learned from the experience.
The puck will drop on the bronze medal game at 2:40 PM ET, and there’s very little doubt as to who the Canadians fans in attendance will support.
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