Germany stuns USA with late goal at world championships

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer scored on a long shot with 33 seconds left in regulation to give Germany a shocking 3-2 win against USA at the world championships Sunday.

It marked the first time in 23 years that Germany had defeated the Americans in regulation at the tournament.

“We’ve talked to the guys all tournament long about not being too high or too low after a win or a loss,” U.S. coach John Hynes told Paste BN Sports, via cell phone, from St. Petersburg, Russia. “We still feel we have a very competitive team. In this tournament, you are going to lose some games and we have the opportunity to respond. That’s our focus.”

The loss may not have a devastating effect on the Americans' chances of making the quarterfinals, as long as they beat Slovakia on Tuesday.

Presuming Germany defeats Hungary and USA downs Slovakia in their final preliminary round games, Germany would finish third in the pool and USA would be fourth, regardless of what Slovakia does Sunday against Finland.

If the Americans finish fourth, they would play the Czech Republic, provided the Czech Republic defeats the Swiss in regulation in their final preliminary round game.

If the Americans would have beaten the Germans, they would have finished third. They would have likely have been matched up against the Russians, who have recently fortified their team with the additions of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov.

According to hockeydb.com, Holzer hasn’t scored a pro goal since the 2013-14 season. He didn’t have a goal in the AHL or NHL in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

“It just a seeing-eye shot,” Hynes said.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Mike Condon, in net for the Americans, had bodies in front him when the shot from the point leaked through.

New York Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss played for Germany, making 31 saves.

“This is the way these tournaments go,” Hynes said. “You have to be able to take these games one game at a time. It’s no different if you have a big win. You have to put it behind you and move on. Our mindset doesn’t change. We will be prepared to play Slovakia.”