SOCHI (REUTERS) - Russia battled to a 1-0 shoot-out win over stubborn Slovakia to close out preliminary-round play in the Olympic men's ice hockey tournament on Sunday but will have to wait to see if it was enough for a bye into the quarter-finals.
With three periods and overtime unable to produce a result, Russia faced a shoot-out for the second consecutive day.
Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov scored past brave Slovakian netminder Jan Laco to give the host nation a heart-stopping win and a chance to go directly through to the last eight.
With the United States (3-0) securing top spot in Group A with a 5-1 win over Slovenia, Russia will finish runners-up and will now have to rely on having the best second-place record to secure the free pass.