GANGNEUNG, South Korea – A stiff test from the Czech Republic ended in a 3-2 shootout loss for Canada on Saturday afternoon at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Jan Kovar scored the winner for the Czechs to break a 2-2 tie through 65 minutes.
Pavel Francouz was beaten by Wojtek Wolski but stopped Maxim Lapierre, Derek Roy and Mason Raymond before Maxim Noreau hit the post for Canada. Ben Scrivens was beaten by Petr Koukal and Kovar.
Raymond and Bourque scored in regulation for Canada while Dominik Kubalik and Michal Jordan replied for the Czech Republic. Canada outshot the Czechs 33-20 during regulation and a bonkers 3-on-3 overtime in which each team could have won the game multiple times.
Scrivens made some strong stops to keep the game 2-2, throwing up his right shoulder to rob Jakub Nakladal in the second and kicking out his left leg on a Lukas Radil one-timer from the slot in the third.
The iron helped him, too, when Jiri Sekac hit the crossbar with 1:05 left.
The game was physical and chippy throughout, comically so at one point with Canada on a power play late in the second. Chris Lee got mixed up with Jordan who pushed the Canadian defenceman into the Czech bench, leading to an interference penalty.
On the ensuing 34-second, two-man advantage, Linden Vey ripped a shot off the crossbar but that was the closest Canada got on that power play.
The Canadians opened strong when Kubalik took a slashing penalty just 42 seconds into the game. On that power play, Vey made a clever pass in front to Raymond who in one motion shoveled the puck past Francouz at 1:13.
But the Czechs started throwing around the body, particularly down low in the Canadian zone and some scrambled play allowed Kubalik to redeem himself. After Scrivens deflected a centering attempt high up in the air, Chris Lee couldn’t corral the bouncing puck and Kubalik pounced on it to even the score.
The Czech pressure also led to some questionable decisions with the puck, as later in the first Marc-Andre Gragnani made a pass from his own corner to Raymond in front of the Canadian net, but Roman Cervenka intercepted it and nearly scored.
Canada retook the lead at 13:30 of the first when Bourque picked up the rebound of a Noreau point shot and swiped it past Francouz on the power play for his third at the Games.
The Czechs had the run of play for the rest of the period and were rewarded for it 25 seconds into the second. After some more sloppy play from the Canadians in their own end, a loose puck squirted out to Jordan, who snapped it home to make it 2-2.
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Jan Kovar scored the game-winning shootout goal for the Czech Republic in a 3-2 victory over Canada in men's hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday night (Saturday in South Korea).
With the win, the Czech Republic took sole possession of first place in Group A, while Canada dropped to second.
Although Canada won the shots battle by a 33-21 margin, Czech goaltender Pavel Francouz made 31 saves and allowed just one goal in the shootout en route to victory.
Canada had a chance to extend the game in the shootout, but Maxim Noreau hit the post, which clinched the triumph for the Czech Republic.
Remarkably, the Czechs' win marked the 20-year anniversary of goalie Dominik Hasek and the Czech Republic beating Canada in a shootout in the semifinals of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
Sportsnet's Arash Madani alluded to Canada's struggles against the Czech Republic in shootouts:
Things looked good early for Canada, as it jumped out to a 1-0 lead just over one minute into the contest on a goal by former Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond.
As seen in this GIF courtesy of CBC Olympics, Raymond beat Francouz with a low shot that he likely should have handled:
The Czechs made up for Francouz's miscue less than six minutes later when Dominik Kubalik netted the equalizer.
Canadian netminder Ben Scrivens didn't close the five-hole quick enough, and Kubalik took advantage:
Canada did enter the first intermission with a lead, however, thanks to a power-play goal by former Calgary Flames forward Rene Bourque.
Off a pass by Noreau, Bourque bullied his way to the front of the net and deposited the puck past Francouz:
Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun put Bourque's Olympic success in perspective after he scored a pair of goals in Canada's opening win over Switzerland:
Darren Haynes of the Canadian Press marveled at what the lack of NHL participation had led to in Olympic hockey for Canada:
Canada's lead was fairly short-lived, as the Czechs came flying out of the gates to start the second period.
Just 25 seconds into the second frame, former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan beat Scrivens on assists from Michal Birner and Roman Horak to tie the game.
After a scoreless third period and overtime, the teams went to a shootout with each side having five shooters, unlike the NHL's version, which features three.
Former Colorado Avalanche forward Wojtek Wolski put Canada on top with a beautiful hesitation goal, but Petr Koukal answered right back for the Czechs.
Kovar then roofed one over Scrivens, and that proved to be the winning marker.
Although the Czech Republic won its opener over South Korea, it entered the Canada game with plenty of doubters since it only beat the Koreans 2-1.
The Czechs will now have a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed out of Group A if they can beat the Swiss on Sunday, while Canada will look to take its frustrations out on the host Koreans.
