Russia scored four times in the third period to beat the U.S. 4-0 in the World Hockey Championship semifinals in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday.
Russia faces Canada in the gold-medal game Sunday, live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra at 2:30 p.m. ET. The U.S. plays host Czech Republic in the bronze-medal game Sunday, on NBC Sports Live Extra at 10 a.m. ET.
The defending champion Russians scored all of their goals in the final 13 minutes, from Sergei Mozyakin, Alex Ovechkin, Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Malkin (empty net). Ovechkin joined the Russian team after the Washington Capitals were eliminated from the NHL playoffs Wednesday.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 35 U.S. shots, one year after he lost the famous Sochi Olympic shootout game in duels with T.J. Oshie.
On Sunday, Russia will try to win its fifth World Championship in the last eight years, despite losing in the Olympic quarterfinals twice in that span.
Canada has dominated in the tournament, winning its nine games by a combined 46-goal margin with Sidney Crosby captaining. Canada hasn’t played Russia during this tournament yet.
The U.S., which beat Russia in group play May 4, has won three Worlds medals since 1962, all bronze. Its young roster in the Czech Republic includes one Olympian, defenseman Justin Faulk, and an average age of 24.3 years old.
The U.S. lost the bronze-medal game to Finland 5-0 at the Sochi Olympics.
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