NHL teams
Craig Custance, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Alex Ovechkin almost single-handedly bulled over Sweden with rambunctious effort

NHL

TORONTO -- It was 33 seconds of furious action that was just the latest reminder that no game with Alex Ovechkin on the ice is truly over until the final buzzer sounds.

With Sweden holding a two-goal lead, Ovechkin flicked a shot that beat Sweden goalie Jacob Markstrom with 33 seconds left in the game, cutting Russia's deficit to just one.

Then, with seven seconds remaining, Ovechkin struck again, batting a puck out of midair while skating in on Markstrom, attempting to then send it toward his stick for the equalizer. The puck got past Markstrom but it was ruled on the ice that Ovechkin batted with his glove rather than his stick.

He felt he touched the puck with his stick. The replay said otherwise.

The call on the ice stood.

"I thought I touched it. To be honest with you, I didn't see the replay," Ovechkin said after the 2-1 loss. "I don't know if it was the puck or the stick. I definitely feel the touch on my hand on my stick. It doesn't matter right now. It's over, so we have to forget about it and move forward."

Ovechkin was a force in this game, laying out Swedish defensemen on multiple occasions with huge hits then providing the offense in a flurry at the end. But ultimately, the situation room in Toronto agreed with the officials on the ice.

According to the official statement from the situation room, "video review supported the call on the ice that Team Russia forward Alex Ovechkin batted the puck into the net with his glove," which is not allowed.

From Markstrom's perspective, he saw the puck hit Ovechkin's glove and in the aftermath watched as Ovechkin tried to convince the referee that the puck hit his stick.

Then, he held his breath.

"I was crossing my fingers and toes that it wouldn't count," Markstrom said. "We got a little lucky there too, but I think we deserved it."

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