IIHF World Championship Day 2 Recap: Canada wins, Sweden surges late, and more

Day two of the IIHF World Championship featured a full slate of six games, with several prominent members of the Calgary Flames in action.

Canada vs. Slovenia

Day two of the IIHF Worlds began early with Canada taking on Slovenia. With the firepower on Canada’s roster, expectations were high for a dominant showing—especially with Slovenia not being one of the stronger teams as well as missing NHL veteran Anže Kopitar.

Canada did secure a 4-0 win, but it wasn’t the offensive showcase you might have anticipated. Full marks go to Slovenian goaltender Luka Horak, who stopped 40 shots and kept his team in it for much of the game.

Bo Horvat led the scoring with two goals, while Noah Dobson and Nathan MacKinnon each added one. Dylan Garand earned a shutout with 11 saves.

MacKenzie Weegar had a mixed performance—picking up an assist but also taking two penalties and finishing with the second-lowest ice time among Canadian defencemen. It wasn’t the start to the tournament Weegar was looking for but surely he’ll be looking to bounce back next game.

Perhaps it was the lack of Zayne Parekh in Canada’s lineup that held back the offence. Canada will look to get it going in their next game against Latvia.

Next Game:

• Canada vs. Latvia — May 11

• Slovenia vs. Slovakia — May 11

Sweden vs. Austria

This one started slow, with no goals in the first period. Austria opened the scoring in the second, but Mika Zibanejad responded for Sweden with the first of his two goals.

Austria reclaimed the lead in the third, but Sweden flipped the switch late. Jonas Brodin tied it with just over two minutes to go. Twelve seconds later, Sweden scored again to take the lead, and an empty-net goal sealed the 4-2 win.

Rasmus Andersson notched an assist on the go-ahead goal and led the team in ice time with over 22 minutes. Mikael Backlund added his second assist of the tournament on the empty-netter and continues to show good chemistry former Flames teammate Elias Lindholm.

Next Game:

• Sweden vs. Finland — May 12

• Austria vs. Slovakia — May 12

Around the tournament

No other Flames players featured in the remaining four games, but sometimes those are the ones that deliver the most entertaining hockey.

Kazakhstan opened its tournament with a 2-1 win over Norway. Goalie Maxim Pavlenko made 30 saves, while Vladimir Volkov and 17-year KHL veteran Roman Starchenko scored the goals.

Kazakhstan faces Germany tomorrow, while Norway takes on Czechia.

Germany had a dominant 6-1 performance over Hungary. Former NHLer Dominik Kahun led the offence with two goals, while Philipp Grubauer stopped 18 of 19 shots.

Germany will aim to carry that momentum into tomorrow’s game against Kazakhstan, while Hungary faces a tough challenge against the United States.

In another solid match-up, Latvia beat France 4-1. It was tight through two periods, but Kristaps Zīle’s early third-period goal gave Latvia the lead for good. Two empty-netters sealed the win as Latvia started the tournament 1-0.

Latvia now has a big test against Canada, while France faces their own tough opponent in Finland.

In the final game of the day, Switzerland bounced back from their overtime loss with a 5-2 win over Denmark. Captain Nico Hischier led the way with two goals and an assist. It was too much for Denmark, which has now lost its first two games of the tournament.

Denmark’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as they face the defending champions Czechia on Monday. Switzerland will look to keep their momentum going against the U.S.

 Day three schedule

(All Times in MT.)

• Slovakia vs. Slovenia — 4:20 a.m.

• USA vs. Hungary — 4:20 a.m.

• Canada vs. Latvia — 8:20 a.m.

• Germany vs. Kazakhstan — 8:20 a.m.

• Finland vs. France — 12:20 p.m.

• Norway vs. Czechia — 12:20 p.m.

 Stay tuned for more IIHF coverage as your Flames hit the ice again on Day 3.