Russia captures bronze medal with shootout win over Czech Republic

It wasn't the color they wanted, but Russia will leave Slovakia with a medal in hand.

Russia claimed the bronze medal Sunday at the IIHF World Championship, defeating Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout.

Gusev wins it for @russiahockey in the shootout, and they capture the #RUSCZE #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/PP22UZ4oKZ

- IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 26, 2019

Captain Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev scored for Russia in the shootout, while the Czech Republic was unable to solve Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes.

Russia had to overcome a 2-1 deficit after jumping out to an early 1-0 lead. Artem Anisimov scored the tying goal in the second period, which was assisted by Gusev.

The Russians finished the preliminary round with a perfect 7-0-0-0 record and a sparkling +29 goal differential. They squeaked past the United States in the quarterfinals 4-3 but were upset by Finland 1-0 in the semis despite boasting a roster with superior talent and experience.

Russia's victory marks the country's third bronze medal in the last four tournaments. For the Czech Republic, its medal drought extends to seven years.

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