MILAN — The puck left Quinn Hughes’ stick with blistering speed, steadily climbing in height as it got closer to the net. By the time it soared past Jacob Markstrom’s left glove, the American had his hands in the air and screamed out to the packed crowd at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
His wrist shot in overtime sent the United States past Sweden 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals against Slovakia.
“It was a relief,” Hughes told NBC News after the game. “I’m just really enjoying being here with the group and the guys and trying to extend it as long as we can.”
Hughes’ dramatic game-winner happened with 6:33 left in extra time. He was given the puck atop the left face-off circle and looked for an open teammate but couldn’t find one. He then made a move towards the goal before letting the decisive shot fly.
“I just tried to create some space for myself and was able to get it to my forehand and get a shot off,” Hughes said of the final play.
The win is a major confidence boost for the Americans as this represented their toughest test in the tournament thus far. Sweden was one of three teams (along with the U.S. and Canada) made up entirely of NHL players.
The U.S. is now 4-0 in the tournament. A win in the semifinals Friday would guarantee a medal for the first time since the 2010 Winter Games, while a loss would mean a shot at the bronze.
Getting through the quarterfinals, however, wasn’t an easy task.
After a scoreless first period that saw big saves from both Markstrom and Connor Hellebuyck of the U.S., the Americans finally broke through in the second.
With 8:57 remaining, Jack Hughes fired a shot at goal from just inside the blue line. Dylan Larkin deflected the puck in mid-air past Markstrom for a 1-0 lead.
