Czech Republic Vs. Russia: Malkin Scores Two, Russians Hold Off Czech Republic 4-2

In a rematch of the 1998 gold medal game -- the first of three gold medal game rematches at Canada Hockey Place on this Sunday -- Russia was able to hold off a feisty Czech Republic team by a final score of 4-2.

Of course, back in Nagano in ‘98, many of the Russian stars who made the victory a reality today were merely young spectators. Evgeni Malkin was the hero today, scoring two goals and adding an assist. Super star Alex Ovechkin also fueled his team with two assists and several big hits, including one on Jaromir Jagr in the third period that directly led to Malkin’s second goal.

Milan Michalek scores with 5:09 left in the third period to bring the Czech Republic to within one goal. Michalek put the puck in the open net after the Czechs stormed the net and Michalek grabbed the rebound from a Marek Zidlicky shot and put it past Nabokov.

Maybe Jaromir Jagr hasn’t dealt with the physical aspect of hockey much in the last two years. At the very least, he certainly didn’t look like he was ready for a Russian freight train to come rolling through his station. Carrying the puck through the neutral zone, Jagr was absolutely decked by Alexander Ovechkin.

The hit had two immediate implications. Jagr lost the puck and the Russians picked it up and moved in the other direction. Then, Czech defenseman Roman Polak became preoccupied by Ovechkin, allowing the Russians to gain the offensive zone.