Both teams had chances early on, but both goaltenders - Sergei Bobrovsky and Connor Hellebuyck - came up with huge saves and set the tone for the game.
First, it was Yevgeni Dadonov, Russia's leading scorer, with a great shot in the slot, but Hellebuyck snagged it right out of the air. Then, Jimmy Vesey had a great chance on the doorstop that was stopped by Bobrovsky.
Midway through the opening period, they'd again trade chances as Artemi Panarin fired a shot from the corner that deflected wide followed by another great chance for Vesey in the slot on the very next shift.