on this saturday night, showdown. the usa and russia square off in an epic olympic hockey battle. stirring echos of the miracle on ice three decades ago. plus, hockeytown, usa, it is a tiny midwest town that the u.s. hockey team's road to gold runs through. dangerous blizzard, a fierce storm with damaging winds barrelling up the eastern seaboard, threatening to dump up to two feet of snow in hard-hit areas. and avalanche warning, the mounting death toll out west from what is being described as the worst avalanches in 20 years.

good evening, we begin tonight with the super power showdown on the olympic hockey ice here today that reverberated with cold war rivalries of another era, and ignited patriotic passion from seattle to siberia. the usa versus russia matchup easily lived up to the hype, the americans winning in a heart-stopping tie-breaking shoot-out. the game, just a preliminary match, led the russian evening news and had the attention of both countries' presidents, vladimir putin who watched from inside the arena, and president obama back in california, who later tweeted his congratulations to t.j. oshie who made the winning shot, and others saying never stop believing in miracles, a subtle reference to another famous

u.s./russia showdown in the hockey arena. nbc's chris jansing has more on the reaction to that and more here at home. >> well, lester, it is true that neither team was facing elimination tonight, but the intensity of the matchup had the feeling of an olympic gold final. under olympic owe rules they were essentially playing for seeding, but in a in fact, national pride was on the line. a monumental chapter in a decades-old rivalry had bars from hoboken, to austin to columbus, opening before breakfast, because in russia, fans were anxious for a rematch 34 years after a little game deemed the miracle on ice. >> we have been waiting since 1980 for this day. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: call it epic, call it thrilling, even an instant classic. could you sense the americans who are there though? >> oh, yeah, absolutely, you could hear them. >> reporter: the raucous heavily russian crowd, including

vladimir putin inside and russian viewing parties outside. faces telling the tale of 65 minutes of heart-pounding intensity. a 2-2 tie, overtime, and then it went to a sudden death shootout. what emotions are going through you at that moment? >> it's a roller coaster in the shoot-out, because obviously every shot that goes by the game can change. >> reporter: the pressure on both sides, massive. russia judging the success of these games on winning hockey gold and so much riding on the stick of t.j. oshie. have you ever felt more pressure than in those moments? >> i don't know. it's hard. once the puck hits your stick, you kind of just -- everything kind of goes away. but leading up to it, i was shaking a little bit. >> reporter: on the 14th shot, oshie put the game away. a tale of stunned disappointment for the russians. >> yeah! >> reporter: but for americans?

madness. >> usa! usa! usa! >> it's wonderful. >> out of control! >> reporter: and for team usa, a hero is made. >> i love you, t.j. >> reporter: oh, sorry, kid, the toast of the sports world is spoken for. oshie said after the game he texted his girlfriend that he would be at the office a little while longer. now, there is other olympic news tonight. before the 1500 meter speed skating final, team usa ditched their high tech suits after a disappointing series of races, didn't help, americans finished out of the medals, but oh, those hockey players. >> i'm just thinking what happens if the two teams play for the gold medal match? >> it will be insanity. >> it will be up for grabs. chris jansing, good to see you. thank you. back in the u.s. in contrast to what was another 60 degree day today in sochi, blizzard watches were up in new england as another major storm battle tonight even seaboard. nbc's ron mott is just north of boston in revere, massachusetts,

where it's really coming down. ron? >> reporter: hey, there, lester, good evening to you, the blizzard warning is in effect for coastal massachusetts tonight. as you can see we have been pelted by strong winds which elevates the danger of dangerous if not impossible driving conditions and widespread power outages. with barely a 24-hour breather from the last storm, parts of the northeast and new england are getting whacked yet again. >> this will be the second major snowstorm in about 48 hours for parts of the northeast this weekend. >> reporter: as much as two feet of snow is forecast to fall. dangerously strong winds in the mix, too. >> it is highly unusual to get two storms in just three days to go through this kind of development. tonight, wind gusts as high as hurricane force, snowfall rates as much as two to three inches an hour, and there could even be thunder snow. >> reporter: massachusetts governor, deval patrick, warned residents to stay off the roads. >> under these conditions it is not really possible for us to keep the roads clear and safe, given the rate of snowfall. >> reporter: blizzard warnings have hospitals on and near cape

cod on standby for a possible spike in emergencies. >> we also expect there will be more traffic once the storm lets up. >> reporter: it has been a day of disruption at the airports, with passengers forced to sleep in philadelphia, roughly 8,000 flights delayed or grounded today nationwide. more than 75,000 flights were cancelled in the past two and a half months, the highest number in more than 25 years. and the relentless snow is becoming more than just an inconvenience. in new york, a snow plow sent an icy trash can flying into a restaurant win dmoe queens, while people ate inside. roof collapses are piling up in the region. >> the ceiling just let loose and everything just came down. within 30 seconds, it collapsed. >> reporter: this one at a sports complex in new jersey. four workers inside escaped harm. in the south, thunder snow in virginia. in south carolina, crews from several neighboring states are working around the clock to restore electricity from wednesday's ice storm, some 125,000 still in the dark, and tonight, it is coastal

massachusetts and maine in the crosshairs. now, the silver lining with this storm compared to some of the recent ones, this one is expected to hit and run pretty quickly. we think it will taper off in the overnight hours and by the time folks wake up in the morning, it should be mostly clear. >> all right, let's drill on what folks can expect tonight and this weekend. weather channel meteorologist jim cantore has more from the cape in chatham, massachusetts. jim? >> reporter: yeah, good evening, lester, we are on the massachusetts elbow here, the farthest southeast point and we are taking a moderate sleet storm right now on the heels of 35 to 40-mile-per-hour winds, so excuse me a bit if it stings. believe it or not they call this pleasant bay where you don't usually see white caps. but we are full of them tonight. the radar showing the snow all the way from new jersey through new york up into boston and new england. and some of this has already accumulated, four to six inches, there is another foot in many places to come. and in some cases, two feet.

look at these snowfall totals, boston, by the time all is said and done, five to eight inches, locally a foot up into maine, 18 to 24. the winds will be so powerful from 8:00 tonight through 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. i mean, look at the winds here in chatham, we'll go from 50 to 60 miles an hour, midnight, possibly 75 miles an hour. that is why they call these winter storms mother nature's winter hurricanes. and that is exactly what it will live up to. tomorrow, the sun will come out lester, but not before pounding this area with another snowstorm. the second major nor'easter, in three days up here. back to you. >> we'll let you get out of it, jim cantore, thank you. sharing the miserable weather battering the midwest is great britain being hit by what's described as having the worst round of weather in 250 years. in take a look, this incredible satellite photo shows the latest fact, storms in the u.s. and the u.k. linked by a sweeping band of clouds across the atlantic. in the u.k., the deadly storm is causing major flooding and power

outages. nbc's mike taibbi has our report from london. >> reporter: surging wind-whipped seas, torrential rain, or both. one official said a conveyer belt of storm systems since the first of the year has made this the wettest, most dangerous winter on record. overnight, masonry from a london building was blown out to a car below, killing the woman at the wheel. a monster wave crashed on a cruise ship killing a passenger. and 3 people were rescued from a restaurant when the surf driven by hurricane-force gusts invited it self in. >> the winds just smashing itself against the win dose. there was glass everywhere. it was not safe for anyone. >> reporter: and it is not safe for tens of thousands of homes now swamped after major rivers including the thames burst their banks. the only way to get to some neighborhoods is by boat or in our case, by amphibious duck boat. by one weather service estimate if the rain stopped today and it

has not, it would take weeks if not months for conditions in the flood plains for the river thames to get back to normal. the floodwaters have crippled rail service and made walking difficult. and escaping by car, as many have tried, difficult at best. >> you're going to wait all night? >> got nowhere else to go. >> reporter: meanwhile, these pumps from the netherlands are churning 24/7 to send the water back in the river. the army has joined with the response. and even princes will and harry lent a royal hand in the sandbag brigade. but the waters have been relentless. >> we have areas where they're experiencing flooding so that means the level are definitely rising. >> reporter: the worst of england's modern day builder crisis not yet over. mike taibbi, nbc news, london. and there is late-breaking news from jacksonville, florida, a jury has just reached a verdict in the trial of a 47-year-old man who shot and killed a teen aiminger during an

argument at a gas station over loud music. michael dunn used florida's controversial stand your ground law as a defense. >> reporter: well, lester, after four days in considering all the evidence in this case the jury has come back on that first degree murder charge, deadlocked, and the judge has now said that there is a mistrial on that count. however, when michael dunn fired at the vehicle, he fired ten shots, nine hit the car. there were three other people in the car. the jury did agree that those shots were attempted murder for the three other people in the car. so he is guilty on those attempted murder charges. he could get 20 years for each of those charges, which could lead up to 60 years if they're consecutive, and he was convicted by the jury for firing a missile at a car. the case, however, on the first degree murder charge is now one

that the prosecutor will have to once again consider if they're going to impanel another jury and bring those charges again for him to stand first-degree murder charges. again, michael dunn, tonight, will be in a jail here. he has been convicted on three counts of attempted murder. lester? >> cary sanders in jacksonville with that for us tonight, thank you. when "nbc nightly news" continues this saturday, we take to you hockeytown usa, where they claim to be a breeding ground for olympic gold. and later, they're back, the legendary bobsled team makes a triumphant return.

usa! usa! usa! >> we're back now at the sochi olympics, we heard a lot of that today, by far the highlight of the day has been team usa's dramatic victory over the russians in men's hockey, and probably nowhere in america is there a bigger celebration than in the tiny town where two members of the u.s. team are from, including the hero of today's game. here is nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: warroad, minnesota, and its 1700 hearty citizens. so close to the canadian border that you could walk it. but not today, it is minus 18. ♪ much warmer inside warroad's arena which just happens to hold about 1700 people as the

hometown warriors battle rivals from up the road. >> everybody wants to see this game. >> reporter: they call this place the original hockeytown. at the local cafe, folks say life's lessons are learned on the ice. >> you have to learn to lose. as well as be a good winner and good community people. >> reporter: warroad's biggest export? olympians. in sochi, there are two of them, including t.j. oshie, the hero of the men's game against russia. it's true, when the men's team struck gold in 1960, and again for 1980s miracle on ice, a warroader was there. and current olympian gigi marvin was on the women's team that won silver in vancouver, things never forgotten down at the rink. >> my grandfather always said it must be something in the water. >> reporter: gordon christian and two of his brothers went to the olympics. he won silver in 1956.

wow. that's what you wore? >> yes. >> reporter: does it still fit? >> a little bit. >> reporter: henry bouchier says he never forgot his hometown when he won silver in 1972. >> every person who puts on a usa uniform realizes and appreciates where they have come from and who has helped them along the road. >> reporter: for t.j. oshie, warroad is where he learned to love the game. >> you didn't really take days off, even if you didn't practice or you didn't have a game, you found ways to get out there and so i think playing those little games is where i really found the love for it. >> reporter: they start them young here, and back yard rinks can be an elaborate affair. >> abmals. >> reporter: tough competitors. but like everybody in warroad, united in support of their own. and lester, i was one of the lucky ones to score a ticket to today's game. inside the bolshoi ice dome, it

was rocking, it was loud, it was colorful and it was good-natured, and all the russian fans like the majority, as you heard in chirs', they shouted shaibu, shaibu, that means puck, put the puck in the net and that's what t.j. oshie did. >> and the folks of warroad well represented here today. >> yes, they were. when we come back, heavy snow out west causing some of the biggest avalanches in decades, we'll take a look.

back now in sochi, and we turn to the devastating effect of what has been an over-abundance of snow in the mountains in the western u.s. avalanches. just in the past week a series of avalanches in oregon, utah

and colorado have claimed at least six lives. nbc's ron allen has more on the continuing danger. >> reporter: in colorado's back country, without warning, an avalanche obliterated snowmobiler cody strong, his camera capturing the horrifying moments. [ bleep ] >> i was just flying through the air. it happened so fast. >> reporter: snow, some four feet deep, pushed him more than 30 yards down the mountain. miraculously he and his friends dug themselves out uninjured. >> like where i was that particular time was not very smart of me. >> reporter: this week alone, at least six people died in avalanches in three western states. that's 12 deaths so far this winter. when kevin kibus, 46, an experienced skier, got trapped by an avalanche, it took rescuers an hour to find his body. >> i don't think any of us gave up hope until we heard the final news.

>> reporter: this massive of alamplg of snow avalanche of snow and ice blocked off valdez, population 4,000, the officials are urging voluntary evacuations. in colorado's mountains where crews use explosives to trigger slides to prevent avalanches, forecasters say this season is on track to be the the worst in years, the problem, big storm systems overloading the snowpack, creating snow accumulations twice the normal average in some areas and more coming. >> that is our fear right now. there is just another storm, another storm and another storm out there on the horizon. >> reporter: experts strongly advise using safety equipment like the air bag in this video keeping the skier on top of the sliding snow. next time, strong says he will be much more cautious. you must be grateful that this wasn't a lot worse. >> we're pretty lucky. >> reporter: avalanche warnings remain in place out in the wilderness all across the west. ron allen, nbc news, los angeles. an amazing story has emerged in the wake of that massive

100-vehicle pile-up along the pennsylvania turnpike yesterday. caught in the gridlock, history teacher, lin mcnolte, who used her iphone to make sure class continued as planned. >> they knew i meant business and we were going to buckle down and have class anyway so no snow day for them. >> reporter: she was caught in the gridlock for four and a half hour. and still ahead, cool runnings, the sequel.

here in sochi, the bobsled competition kicks off tomorrow with the return of the jamaicans. this of course is not the same team that took calgary by storm back in the '88 olympics. the one thing, they only managed to qualify a two-man sled at this time. still their arrival here in sochi created a fair amount of excitement over their legacy and the obstacles they overcame to get here. it was questionable whether the jamaican bobsled team would qualify for these games, and barely a month ago it was an open question whether they could even afford to fly here. >> it's been a long flight. >> reporter: they arrived here hours late. a missed flight connection and missing luggage, including some critical equipment. apt metaphors for the perpetually uphill story of this

team in a sunny climate that in the 1988 calgary olympics delighted the world, and later became the basis for a comedy film classic. >> gentlemen, this is a bobsled, sort of. >> reporter: but it hasn't necessarily all been cool runnings for the real jamaican team. they failed to qualify for the last two olympics and they have struggled to find sponsors. when i caught up with the team in december during qualifications, times were lean. >> the thing is, we are one of the most famous teams throughout the world but the most poorest team, ever. >> reporter: after clinching a spot in sochi, the team revealed they didn't have enough cash to afford the trip. the reaction was immediate. within days, fans and supporters raised more than $100,000 for the jamaicans. the outpouring was incredible, how much money was raised in a very short amount of time. what do you think was behind that? >> it is so much behind it. people want to see the jamaica team out there. you know, they miss the jamaican team.

>> reporter: finally, after a 12-year absence the ja in a khan flag was raised above the athlete's village. while here in sochi, they're soaking up the smiles and fame that come from their cool runnings legacy, they don't want their appearance to be seen as some sort of movie nostalgia tour. at 46 years old, winston watts came out of retirement to lead the team. >> i am not just coming to sochi because i want to be here, but i'm here to compete as serious contenders. >> reporter: the jamaicans have climbed a lot of mountains to earn their place back in the olympics, hoping it is all downhill from here. and there is the jamaican flag, flying in russia. >> it is, one of the best, and the prettiest color here. >> again the jamaican bobsled team competes tomorrow here in sochi, we will be following all the action. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday.

i'm lester holt reporting from the olympic games in sochi. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." and we hope to see you right back here tomorrow night. and a reminder prime time olympic coverage begins at 8:00, 7:00 central, anchored tonight by our own meredith vieira. for all of us here at nbc news, good night.

nearly brought to a stand still. thousands forced to find a new way to the annual chinese new year parade. the largest bus since a ban took effect. a hockey showdown in the winter olympics. the face-off against russia, a game for the amgs. a live report from sochi. good evening, everyone. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> i'm diane dwyer. we're on a little bit later because of olympics coverage. we begin with hundreds of thousands of people gathered in downtown san francisco. it is the annual chinese