Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) – Evgeni Malkin scored two goals, including the game-winner early in the third period, and picked up an assist, as Russia doubled up the Czech Republic, 4-2, to earn the Group B title and a bye into the quarterfinals.

Viktor Kozlov and Pavel Datsyuk also tallied for the Russians, who rebounded from Thursday’s shootout loss to Slovakia and finished with seven points in the preliminary round.

Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for Russia.

Tomas Plekanec and Milan Michalek lit the lamp for the Czechs. Tomas Vokoun allowed three goals on 31 shots to take the loss, the first in the Olympic tournament for the 1998 gold medalists after wins over Slovakia and Latvia.

Michalek hammered home a Marek Zidlicky feed past Nabokov to trim the deficit to 3-2 with 5:09 to play in regulation. The Czechs continued to press for the equalizer, pulling Vokoun for an extra skater, but Datsyuk’s empty-net marker sealed the win with 12.3 seconds remaining.

Malkin staked the Russians to a 1-0 lead on the power play. Vokoun made the initial stop on Sergei Gonchar’s blast from the point, but couldn’t track the rebound as it got lost in a maze of skates. Malkin eventually jumped on a loose puck to Vokoun’s left and whipped a shot through the goaltender’s arm and torso at 15:13 of the opening frame.

Plekanec drew the Czechs even with a 5-on-3 power-play goal with 53.6 seconds remaining in the first period. Kozlov fired a shot under the glove and past the right pad of Vokoun to break the tie with 5:26 left in the middle stanza.

Russia led 3-1 when Malkin one-timed a pass from Alexander Semin at 1:49 of the third. A bone-rattling check by Alexander Ovechkin on the Czechs’ Jaromir Jagr in the neutral zone preceded the tally.
source: http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=olymp/news/news.aspx?id=4291640

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