After living through the beginning of a second period where Canada ramped up the pressure on the Americans and evened the score, Team USA decided turn up the heat on their own.
Drury’s Garbage Goal Restores USA Lead
With the puck in the Canadian zone, USA was able to get it in front of Martin Brodeur’s net. The goaltender leapt out of his crease to poke the loose puck but missed. From there, three Canadian defenders tried to suffocate around the puck in an attempt to get it away from the goal mouth.
Instead, David Backes and Bobby Ryan were there for the Americans, and after an initial poke toward the net and an initial Brodeur save, it was veteran Chris Drury who stood alone in front of an open net with the puck. He easily buried it over a toppled Brodeur and a toppled Sidney Crosby to give the USA a 3-2 lead.
Heading into the third period, the Americans have all the momentum. Even in a clearly partisan Canadian crowd, a few U-S-A! chants escaped from the masses. The question is simple for red and white (no blue): can they beat American goaltender Ryan Miller? For the USA, can they continue to be opportunistic in the limited chances they are getting, and can they keep the puck out of their own defensive end?
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More: SB Nation’s full coverage of the Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics Medal Count Tracker.
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