Dear Santa, 2020 has been tough, to say the least,but you left the best gift for last.A night-capperof Ru sia versus the United States. The best preliminary matchup. On Christmas Day. Thanks buddy. You're the best. Love, hockey fans everywhere. Itd been 16 years since world juniors kicked off on Christmas Day which also featured the same two teams going at it back then and like any good 'olmeeting between two big rivals thisRu sia-USA lived up to the hype. Two of the top three teams in the tournament met on opening day of Giannis Antetokounmpo Jersey the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championshipand Ru sia skated away with a 5-3 win. While the score looked like it was a close contest, the Americans faltered throughout much of the game and at one point trailed 4-1. Spencer Knight allowed four goals on 12 shots a few of those goals were off bad decisions by the netminder including the fourth goal he sent up the boards right to Ru sias Ilya Safonovthat he would certainly like to have back. "He's an outstanding goalie. I'm sure he would have liked to have that last one back," head coach Nate Leaman confirmed post-game. "But ... I've seen him have a bad game before on tape in the league and shut a team out. So, I think for the most part we'll watch the tape but I don't have any doubts aboutSpencer bouncing back." However, while the United States struggled with turnovers, puck management, pucks in transition and poor puck supportthroughout most of the game, one thing they can carry into the game on Saturday is that they did not buckle. In the third period, trailing 4-1, the team turned it up and notched two goals against what many would say is the best goaltender in the tournament; speaking of Yaroslav Askarov, he lived up to the hype making some fantastic saves over the course of the full 60 minutes. In the end, it wasnt enough. We had a couple of shifts or moments where we werent playing our best and playing our game, said John Farinacci who scored to make it 4-2. But I think, you know, obviously we had a good comeback and we came back there in the third and I think thats what we got to stick to as this tournament goes on. The U.S. will now have a tight turnaround as theyll face off against Austria on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Weve got to have a short mindset, said Dustin Wolf who relieved Knight and may get the start on Saturday. Leaman said they would make the decision in the morning. Our head coach Nate Leaman, our topic right now is were on to the next barrel. That barrel is behind us now and well focus on the next one and have a short mindset going into it. Sporting News hadall the heart-thumping action between thesetwo powerhouses in Game 1 of the tournament. (All times Eastern.) USA vs. Ru sia scores, highlights from 2021World Juniors preliminary game Final score: Ru sia 5, USA 3 Third period: Ru sia 5, USA 3 11:53 p.m. EN GOAL. Yegor Chinakhov picks up the puck and breaks in for the goal. Ru sia leads 5-3. EMPTY NETTER seals it for with 21.4 seconds to go. IIHF (@IIHFHockey) 11:53 p.m. Wolf pulled. 11:52 p.m. With 61 seconds on the clock, USA calls a timeout. 11:49 p.m. PP GOAL. It's a one-goal game! Trevor Zegras with the point shot as it gets past a screened Askarov. It was a 6-on-4 as Wolf had been pulled Ru sia leads 4-3. POWERPLAY GOAL! makes it a 1-goal game for against IIHF (@IIHFHockey) 11:46 p.m. Three minutes left. USA trails 4-2 and get another power play. 11:43 p.m. Arthur Kaliyev gets a good chance on the power play but is stopped by Askarov. 11:42 p.m. USA gets a power play. 11:40 p.m. Then Jackson LaCombe mishandles the puck and Yegor Chinakhov breaks in but Wolf makes the stop. 11:40 p.m. Americans buzzing again. Askarov making some diving saves with and without his stick. Boldy and Caufield getting chances. 11:36 p.m. Askarov getting his mask fixed. A tactic with the Americans buzzing? He was bumped on the goal, so, maybe not. 11:33 p.m. GOAL. The US maintains control in the Ru sian zone. Drew Helleson puts the puck on net from the point and John Farinacci buries the rebound. Ru sia leads 4-2. USA GOAL! TSN (@TSN_Sports) 11:22 p.m. Wolf makes a good save on a one-timer from the point. 11:19 p.m. Third period is a go. 11:14 p.m. Friendly reminder: Canada got shellacked by Ru sia in last year's preliminary round and still won gold. Second period: Ru sia 4, USA 1 11:00 p.m. Some pleasantries being said at the end of the period. Maybe that'll spark the Americans. 10:54 p.m. The second shot Wolf faces? A partial breakaway that he saves. Wolf is a solid netminder and could be a No. 1 on any other team. 10:48 p.m. Knight has been pulled after allowing four goals on 12 shots. Flames prospect Dustin Wolf is in. Knight did not have a great 2020 tourney (2-2, 2.49 GAA, .913 save percentage) and was looking for a better result in 2021. This was not the start he was looking for. 10:47 p.m. GOAL . Wow. Spencer Knight not having a good night. Plays a puck that was being iced and turns it right over to Ru sia's Ilya Safonov who scores as Knight tries to scramble back. Ru sia leads 4-1. And that's goal number FOUR for Ru sia TSN (@TSN_Sports) 10:43 p.m. GOAL. Off a dump-in, Americans turn it over(Jake Sanderson) as they stand around andVasily Ponomaryov (CAR) gets his second of the game. Ru sia leads 3-1. 10:39 p.m. USA heads to the power play. They would get some zone time but nothing came of it. 10:32 p.m. My goodne s. Cole Caufield has some silky mitts. Bruh Scott Matla (@scottmatla) 10:30 p.m. GOAL . What a head-man pa s by Maxim Groshev (TBL) you don't see it in the video but it was ridiculously good as it came from the defensive zone toZakhar Bardakov (2021 eligible) who breaks in a beats Knight five-hole. Ru sia leads 2-1. Ru sia regains their lead over the USA thanks to this beauty from Zakhar Bardakov IIHF (@IIHFHockey) 10:29 p.m. Americans getting some good chances early on as Bobby Brink mi ses a wide-open net. 10:28 p.m. This is a head-scratcher. Cole Caufield, who a sisted on USA's goal, had just 2:58 TOI in the first period. Only Brett Berard (54 seconds) and Sam Colangelo (2:02) had le s. Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) 10:27 p.m. Second period is underway. 10:12 p.m. Some intermi sion reading First period: USA 1, Ru sia 1 10:04 p.m. Ru sia heads to the power play with 3:22 left on the clock. (They don't get much action.) 9:58 p.m. GOAL. Captain Cam York (PHI) sends the puck to the net and while originally thought Matthew Boldy deflected but was changed during intermi sion the puck squeaks between the arm and body of Askarov. Game tied 1-1. Take a look at the goal that tied it up at one! | USA Hockey (@usahockey) 9:55 p.m. Trevor Zegras and Yaroslav Askarov are a modern-day Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur. A little gamesmanship. Lol. Tough Call Podcast (@ToughCallBlog) 9:52 p.m. Americans pick things up now and have a good chunk of offensive zone time with Matthew Boldy and Cole Caufield getting some good looks. USA finally with shots on net (about 12 minutes in, yikes). 9:49 p.m. GOAL. Ru sia controls the puck off a dump-in and Hurricanes prospect Vasily Ponomaryovwith a masterful deflection that sends the puck fluttering past Knight. Ru sia leads 1-0. Vasili Ponomaryov puts Ru sia on the board. NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) 9:44 p.m. Power play ends as theAmericans struggled with zone entry and couldn't get set up. They don't register a shot on net and in fact, with more than six minutes ticked off, they don't have a single shot in the game. Ru sia has three. 9:42 p.m. USA gets a power play as Alex Turcotte gets taken down while driving to the net. Not a good start for the Ru sians as the Americans have some firepower. 9:40 p.m. Both teams came out looking to set the tempo but so far just a lot of up-and-down hockey with neither team sustaining any pre sure. 9:40 p.m. USA gets lucky as they had too many men but didn't get caught. 9:38 p.m. "Great day for hockey." Puck has been dropped. ref with the puck drop pep talk TSN (@TSN_Sports) Pregame 9:22 p.m. It'll be Askarov vs. Knight. Buckle up. 9:10 p.m. If you mi sed this from earlier today, you should definitely watch it now. Cole Caufield and Trevor Zegras were the last ones on the ice at Team USA practice because they dont leave until they tip the last puck into a bucket TSN (@TSN_Sports) 8:50 p.m. How the Ru sians will go. Team Ru sia lines Askarov (Akhtyamov) Amirov-Khusnutdinov-Podkolzin (Mukhamadullin, Chistyakov) Gritsyuk-Safonov-Chinakhov (Chayka, Kuznetsov) Afanasayev-Spiridonov-Firstov (Kirsanov, Knyazev) Groshev-Ponomaryov-Bardakov (Bychkov, Bashkirov) Gillian Kemmerer (@gilliankemmerer) 8:23 p.m. Thattop-6. Tonight's lineup against Ru sia! Tune in at 9:30 p.m. ET on . Preview USA Hockey (@usahockey) 7:12 p.m. Getting ready. The jerseys were hung in the lockers with care in hopes that a victory soon would be there | USA Hockey (@usahockey) World Juniors 2021: Latest news Tournament Time, TV channel, live stream, where, when, schedule How has COVID-19 impacted the tournament? Rosters, NHL draft status, jersey numbers for all 10 teams Breakdown of every NHL teams' prospects Predictions: Hockey experts pick who will win gold NHL Network's Dave Starman on Canada, the U.S. and why Cole Caufield will steal the show A team-by-team guide to the under-20 championship Dach, Caufield and the top four storylines USA Scores, schedule, how to watch every USA Hockey game NHL Network's Dave Starman on Canada, the U.S. and why Cole Caufield will steal the show Canada Which players are on Canada's final roster? Canada favorite to win second straight gold medal Kirby Dach out of tournament with wrist injury Scores, schedule, how to watch every Hockey Canada game Malcolm Brogdon Jersey