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Beaten by 'Bulin Russia takes out defending gold medalists in quarterfinalsPosted: Wednesday February 20, 2002 6:04 PMUpdated: Thursday February 21, 2002 2:39 AM
PROVO, Utah (AP) -- In his three trips to the Olympics, Dominik Hasek has seen only one goalie dominate a game the way Nikolai Khabibulin did against the Czech Republic Wednesday. "He had the same success that I did four years ago," Hasek said. "It's not an easy thing." Khabibulin made 41 saves in an overwhelming performance, outdueling Hasek and sending Russia into the semifinals with a 1-0 victory that eliminated the defending champions from the Czech Republic. Maxim Afinogenov scored the only goal in the second period of a rematch of the 1998 gold-medal game in Nagano, won 1-0 by the Czechs on the strength of Hasek's outstanding play. Hasek allowed just six goals in six games in Japan, culminating with a shutout that he called the highlight of his career.
Once again, the longtime rivals' meeting was decided by goaltending -- but this time, Khabibulin put aside three days of mediocre play with a display of puck-stopping that could only be described as, well, Hasek-like. In the midst of an NHL season in which Khabibulin has begun to supplant Hasek as the world's top goalie, the dominance of the "Bulin Wall" was appropriate -- if unexpected. Though Khabibulin said the win didn't mean as much as Hasek's gold-medal victory, he now seems capable of carrying his nation to gold just as Hasek did four years ago. "This game meant a lot to us," said Khabibulin, cool and nearly indifferent after the game. "We really didn't want to go home after today. ... You can't tell if you're going to have a shutout or not. You just go out there and do your best." Khabibulin was at his best in the frantic final minute, when he made a breathtaking series of saves on point-blank chances for the Czechs. Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Jaromir Jagr were denied in the final 10 seconds during a wild scrum. After Russia won a faceoff in its own zone with four seconds left and cleared the puck, Khabibulin pumped his pads in the air before he was mobbed by his teammates. "I am very disappointed, but I also feel proud because of the way we played," Hasek said. "Both teams had great chances, and I think we had even more great chances. One goal was the difference." The game marked the highest point yet in Khabibulin's turbulent career, which included a nearly two-season holdout from the Phoenix Coyotes. This year, he is having an All-Star season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. "We know Nikolai is one of the No. 1 goalies in the world," Russian coach Slava Fetisov said. "He has had a great season this year. As a person, he is a fighter. He is never satisfied." After allowing nine goals in his first three games and enduring plenty of criticism, Khabibulin made 16 saves in the third period to carry the Russians into the Friday's semifinals, when they'll face the United States in a rematch of last weekend's 2-2 draw. "We couldn't beat him," Czech wing Martin Rucinsky said. "We put a lot of pressure on him and launched a lot of shots, and he stopped them all. All those shots, and nothing went in." Russia went 1-1-1 in round-robin play, scoring just three goals in its previous two games and looking nervous throughout a 3-1 loss to Finland. The Russian roster of high-scoring NHL forwards again was silenced by Hasek and the Czech defense, but Khabibulin was simply unbeatable. The nations were once bitter enemies, and Jagr still wears No. 68 in memory of the Soviet invasion of Prague in 1968. Players now describe it as a mostly friendly rivalry, but there was plenty of passion Wednesday.
"The games between Russia and the Czechs are big for us, and this game meant lots more than the previous three," Khabibulin said. "I don't think our coach had to motivate us a lot to play well today." The Czechs controlled play from the outset. The Russians didn't get a shot until a power play 7 1/2 minutes in, but they killed off three minutes of 5-on-3 advantage. The Russians got the only goal on a fortunate bounce. Afinogenov scored his first Olympic goal less than five minutes into the second with a puck that rolled right to his stick; his lightning-quick rebound shot beat Hasek before the goalie could move. The Czechs, who outshot Russia 41-27, increased their attacks in the third period, but Khabibulin had an answer for everything. While Khabibulin made easy and difficult saves, Hasek slammed his stick on the ice in frustration.
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