Francouz shines as Czech Republic downs Canada in shootout

Twenty years after beating Canada in a shootout in the semifinals at Nagano 1998, the Czech Republic was up to the task again at PyeongChang 2018.

It wasn't Dominik Hasek between the pipes this time, but Pavel Francouz certainly did his best impression of the Czech legend with a dominant performance in goal.

After a 2-2 tie led to a thrilling overtime of 3-on-3 hockey, a shootout was needed to determine a winner, and Francouz rose to the occasion to stop four Canadian shooters. The Czechs wouldn't even require their final shot, skating off with the win to grab hold of top spot in Group A.

The loss ends Canada's 11-game winning streak at the Olympics, albeit with a much different roster than the NHL-stocked ones in recent years.

Francouz was a busy man throughout the night, stopping 31 of 33 shots as Canada dominated the contest.

Mason Raymond gave the Canadians the start they were looking for with a goal just 1:13 into the contest before Dominik Kubalik evened things up five minutes later. Rene Bourque would ensure Canada took a lead to the locker room after the opening frame by finding the net with just over six minutes to play.

Michal Jordan would score in the first minute of the second period, and that would be the final goal of the contest. The end-to-end extra frame yielded a load of chances for both teams, but neither could find the game-sealing marker, forcing the game to a shootout.

Francouz would take over from there and ensure the Czechs the win, and the inside track to claiming the top spot in Group A when preliminary play finishes.

Both teams finish group play on Feb. 18 with Canada matching up against host South Korea while the Czechs face Switzerland.