Deflection, overtime stunner rescue Canadian ice hockey team from massive quarter-final upset

Nick Suzuki tied it on a deflection with 3:27 left, Mitch Marner scored in overtime and Canada avoided what would have been a stunning quarter-final exit at the Olympics by rallying to beat Czechia 4-3 on Thursday (AEDT).

Canada fell behind with 7:42 remaining when Ondrej Palat scored on an odd-man rush off a pass from Martin Necas. The goal sent the Czech bench and fans into a wild celebration, but it was short-lived.

Suzuki just about did it all on the tying goal, sending the puck out to the point to Devon Toews and then redirecting the defenceman's shot past Lukas Dostal.

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Jordan Binnington denied David Pastrnak on a breakaway with 70 seconds left to send the game past regulation.

Then Marner's backhanded goal 1:22 into overtime put Canada into the semi-finals.

Canada awaits a semi-final against Finland, who beat Switzerland 3-2 in overtime in the quarter-finals. The US beat Sweden 2-1 in overtime and will now meet Slovakia, who thrashed Germany 6-2.

Canada even staying in the tournament has a major concern after losing Sidney Crosby to injury five minutes into the second period. Crosby's right leg appeared to buckle bracing for contact from rugged Czechia defenceman Radko Gudas, and he left the ice after getting crunched seconds later against the boards by Gudas and Necas.

Slovakia reaches the semis despite quiet game from Slafkovsky

Since arriving at the Olympics, Slovakia’s players and coaches acknowledged they would lean heavily on Juraj Slafkovsky. They also emphasised it cannot be just about the emerging Montreal Canadiens star to make any kind of run.

That was the message before playing Germany in the quarter-finals.

“We were saying, 'It doesn’t matter who’s going to score',” Slafkovsky said. “We just need that one extra goal.”

They got a few extra. Dalibor Dvorsky turned in another brilliant performance with a goal and an assist, fellow NHL forward Pavol Regenda scored twice as part of his three-point game and Slovakia dominated Germany 6-2 to reach the semi-finals and guarantee playing for a medal in Milan.

“Amazing,” said alternate captain Erik Cernak, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Before the tournament, if we would say we’re going to make semi-finals, probably people would laugh at you. But we did it, and it’s not done yet.”

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Slovakia got an injury scare in the second period when the 21-year-old Slafkovsky, the reigning Olympic MVP, went head first into the boards and was slow to get up. A trainer applied an ice pack to the back of Slafkovsky's neck, and he held it on himself when he got up to celebrate a goal scored while he was getting medical attention.

“I’m OK," Slafkovsky said. "I was a little shaken up, but after a couple minutes I felt OK again. I went out there, and [my] head wasn’t spinning. I was seeing normal.”

Slafkovsky was held off the scoresheet until assisting on captain Tomas Tatar's empty-net goal with 3:27 left, and he was thrilled to see his teammates fill the net instead.

“I don’t think it does matter if Slafko has some points," defenceman Martin Fehervary said. “He can do some other work for us, and we have plenty of players who can score, as well.”

Dvorsky, who plays for the St. Louis Blues, and Regenda, who split time between the San Jose Sharks and their American Hockey League affiliate this season, led the way offensively.

Dvorsky made the initial pass that led to Milos Kelemen's goal and had a terrific individual effort to spring himself for his third goal at the Olympics.

At the other end of the rink, Minnesota Wild goaltending prospect Samuel Hlavaj did his job, making 25 saves and allowing only goals to Lukas Reichel, off a feed from Leon Draisaitl, and to Frederik Tiffels on the power play.

Slovakia is four years removed from Slafkovsky scoring seven goals and leading it to bronze, the country's first hockey medal of any colour at the Olympics. That was after the NHL pulled out of participating in Beijing at the 11th hour because of pandemic-related scheduling issues.

This time, the competition included Draisaitl, Finland's Mikko Rantanen and Sweden's William Nylander among the stars who were missing in 2022.

“It’s probably 100 times better," Slafkovsky said. "You’ve got the best players over here, and we managed to come here and go to semi-finals. It’s big for me, big for our country, big for every supporter we have.”

Slovakia as the No.3 seed can face any of the US, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden or Czechia in the semi-finals, depending on how the rest of the results go.

“We just have to keep working, and whatever opening comes next, we’re going to be ready for whoever,” Regenda said.

"We have to be as a team as we are. We have great guys, and we have to stick as a team.”