2-goal Radulov steers Russia into quarter-finals

Alexander Radulov scored twice as Russia beat Norway 4-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic ice hockey tournament on Tuesday but the hosts' NHL stars once again failed to shine. Sergei Bobrovski stopped 22 shots for the shutout and Pavel Datsyuk had three assists for the Russians, who will face Finland on Wednesday for a spot in the semi-finals. Russia is desperate to win gold on their home soil after crashing out of the Vancouver Games in the quarters four years ago. Radulov redeemed himself with his two goals and an assist Tuesday in front of a crowd of 11,423 at the Bolshoi Ice Dome. Radulov, who plays for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, took two penalties on Saturday which led to two American goals. The USA won the match 3-2 in a shootout thriller that helped them finish atop of Group A of the preliminary round and forced Russia to have to play an extra game in the qualification round. Ilya Kovalchuk, of St. Petersburg, and Ak Bars Kazan forward Alexi Tereshenko also scored for Russia as they got all their goals from KHL players while their NHL stars continue to fire blanks. The Russia-Norway game was one of four qualifying matches on Tuesday that will determine the final eight teams of the tournament. The Russians have a quick turnaround before facing the 2006 silver medallist Finns in less than 24 hours for a spot in the semis. "It is do or die right now. Everybody is ready for tomorrow," said star forward Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin finished with four shots on goal but no points in over 16 minutes of playing time but says he is not worried about his lack of scoring in this tournament. "I'm trying to score, otherwise I am doing simple things for the team," Ovechkin said. "When we are leading we don't have score, we have to protect the lead." He says he is waiting for moments when he can show his offensive skills but they just haven't come yet. "The most important thing is the team," he said. "It is not about personal stats. We are here to win the gold. It is not about winning some scoring titles." Ovechkin is not the only Russian who isn't scoring. Four goals in a game is the second most for Russia this tournament. He said they are improving each game but still need to work on getting the puck out of their own zone quicker. "We started well. We took some shots and put pressure on their defence," he said. "And we had a few mistakes especially when our defence had the puck. We forwards didn't move our feet and we stopped on the blueline. And then we made some changes and it worked." Norway's Patrick Thoresen said the Russians have some glaring weaknesses that they are going to have to correct if they want to get to the Olympic podium. "They need to be more compact in their defensive unit," said Thoresen, who used to play in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers. "If they can come together as a team then they certainly have the confidence to go through. "But I am not so sure to be honest. They are allowing so many chances in front of the goal." In the earlier game on Tuesday, Slovenia blanked Austria 4-0 and will face Sweden on Wednesday. Source: AFP