Greetings from the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, where Russia is getting ready to face Slovakia in its final Group A preliminary game (4:30 p.m. local time, 7:30 in Washington). For both the Russians and the U.S. team, which is playing next door at the Shayba Arena at the same time, a turnaround of only about 21 hours after their epic duel Saturday could test both their mental resolve and physical stamina.
I watched Alex Ovechkin closely as the Russian team came onto the ice to see I could detect any signs of fatigue, but he hit the ice hopping and sprinting and firing away as if he were fully rested. I guess we’ll see how he looks after Zdeno Chara, the towering Slovakian defenseman, smothers him a few times.
Puck drops here in about 20 minutes.
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