ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Alexei Kovalev broke a tie in the third period Thursday night and Russia went on to down the United States, 3-1, in the World Cup of Hockey.
Earlier in the day, Finland blanked Germany, 3-0, in Cologne.
Viktor Kozlov added an insurance goal in the third period in Russia's first game of the tournament. The United States dropped to 0-2 after an opening loss to Canada.
Keith Tkachuk tallied the only goal for the Americans, who will face Slovakia on Friday to close out the preliminary round.
Every team in the tournament reaches the quarterfinals with the round-robin phase of the competition determining the seeding.
Robert Esche allowed three goals on 45 shots as Russia outshot the Americans, 45-20.
Teemu Selanne and Kimmo Timonen each had a goal and an assist in Finland's victory over Germany. Finland is 2-0 and Germany 0-2.
