2024 IIHF World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 9

May 18, 2024

The third of four six-game days are the books, with Sweden, Canada, Germany, Czechia, Switzerland, and Slovakia eking out wins.

The morning games were interesting. Sweden and Latvia were tied at 2-2 midway through the second period, but after scoring three goals in a tournament-record 26 seconds, the Swedes managed to skate out to a 6-2 win. This was in contrast to Switzerland’s 8-0 win over Denmark, which kept them near the top of Group A. They have a big matchup against Canada on Sunday evening.

The Canadians, meanwhile, managed to pull off a comeback against the Finns. They trailed 2-0 early, but fought back to win the game 5-3. Germany avoided a late-game push from Poland, winning 4-2 to stay strong in Group B.

The final two games weren’t particularly close, with Czechia beating Great Britain 4-1 and Slovakia taking down France 4-2. Both were important in the playoff fight for different reasons, but mostly for Slovakia who managed to move into third place in Group B.

With the win, Czechia is first in Group A with 15 points, one more than both Canada and Switzerland. They’ll have two days off before playing Canada on Tuesday, a battle that could determine top spot in Group A. In Group B, Sweden is still perfect with five regulation wins, with Germany, Slovakia and USA sitting in the final playoff spots.

On the relegation front, Great Britain will need to beat Norway to advance, as long as Norway doesn’t get another point against Austria tomorrow. Poland will also need to beat Kazakhstan in regulation as long as Kazakhstan beat the United States.

Canada

#88 Andrew Mangiapane, RW (Calgary Flames): A perfectly executed forecheck by Mangiapane resulted in the first goal of the game. He worked hard along the boards behind the net to get the puck to Dylan Cozens, who took advantage for the 2-1 goal. He’s been getting better with every game after starting a bit slower, and that energy has helped spark the comeback.

#25 Owen Power, D (Buffalo Sabres): Power helped the Canadians get on the board with a solid dump-in that allowed his team to make it 2-1 shortly after. Then, at 37:12, he scored the game-tying goal after taking Dylan Cozens’ feed in front and beating Harri Sateri with a wrister. Power has been Canada’s best all-around defenseman in this tournament and that was amplified with the loss of Bowen Byram.

#91 John Tavares, C (Toronto Maple Leafs): Tavares made that pass that turned into Brandon Tanev’s 2-2 goal, beating two defenders to find Tanev on the rush. He also nearly had another of his own in the second and was one of Canada’s hardest-working backcheckers. Tavares’ patience paid off late in the game as he helped set up the 4-3 goal, outlasting a Finnish defender to set up Brandon Hagel.

#13 Brandon Tanev, LW (Seattle Kraken): Tanev did a bit of everything today – he scored, blocked shots, and was as aggressive as anyone. He laid it all the line to help his team come out on top and it was definitely highly appreciated by the coaching staff. This was the most I noticed him in a game.

#50 Jordan Binnington, G (St. Louis Blues): After allowing five goals on nine shots in the third period against Austria, Binnington played a superb game today. He was left all alone on the first goal and got beat on two power-play goals, but was excellent after that. He made 29 saves total in a game that he needed to shine in for his own confidence.

Finland

#13 Jesse Puljujarvi, RW (Pittsburgh Penguins): Puljujarvi scored the opening goal and then crowded the net for the second goal. It was a great start from a forward who has looked good for the Finns, especially after not being a lock to make the team after a slow NHL campaign. Puljujarvi has been one of Finland’s best players around the net, with his relentless attack allowing him to pick up and create rebounds.

#57 Arttu Hyry, C: I loved Hyry’s game – he just makes things happen around the crease. Sometimes, it’s the simple plays like lifting a stick or blocking a lane; other times, it’s Hyry generating rebounds or getting the puck out to someone else in a scoring position. For a fourth-line center, I feel like Hyry plays better than most on this Finnish team.

#12 Jere Innala, LW: Innala had a secondary assist on the first Finnish goal, but he also had four shots of his own in the first 40 minutes. He was shut out in the third but he battled hard for loose pucks often.

Czechia

#10 Roman Cervenka, LW: Cervenka nearly scored a minute into the game but did make the move that resulted in the 1-0 goal. He then had another assist on the 2-0 marker, giving him a dream start early on. He kept on trucking along with an assist in the second period, too. Cervenka has been Czechia’s best player from the get-go but Martin Necas in the lineup, and the potential for David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha to make the trip over, he’s going to get some extra help.

#36 Lukas Krejcik, D: With a set-up on the first goal and then scoring the second himself, Krejcik looked great today. Along with Czechia’s top line, he just seemed to be moving well out there and maximizing the space available to him. Krejcik was crucial to the team’s early success, which allowed them to relax a little bit as the game went on.

#23 Lukas Sedlak, C: Sedlak registered four shots in the first period, including the 2-0 goal that helped give Czechia sustained momentum. He also nabbed an assist in the second period to keep the fun rolling. Sedlak just seemed to have the puck on his stick so often, and it helped that he had Cervenka and Ondrej Kase setting him up as often as they did. The top line was buzzing, with Sedlak being the driving force of that offense,

#88 Martin Necas, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Necas didn’t need much time to get ready after his NHL elimination earlier this week. He had four shots in the first period, including a couple of high-quality chances that were ultimately stopped by Ben Bowns. Just wait until he gets adjusted back to the bigger ice and his new linemates.

Great Britain

#33 Ben Bowns, G: Bowns made 29 saves in the first 40 minutes to at least keep it somewhat close, but there wasn’t much he could have done in that one. Bowns and Jackson Whistle have done as much as they possibly can up until this point but now it will be interesting to see how they split the goaltending against Norway on Monday and Austria on Tuesday.

Slovakia

#79 Libor Hudacek, RW: Hudacek’s two goals really helped give Slovakia a bit of a cushion in a game they couldn’t afford to lose. He also helped create the fourth goal, getting a secondary assist to finish off the day. They needed a sharpshooter, especially as they await goals from Juraj Slafkovsky. Hudacek has been their best forward outside of maybe Tomas Tatar, making the most of open space so far.

#17 Simon Nemec, D: (New Jersey Devils): Again, Nemec was great. He just played a solid, steady two-way game that saw him grab an assist on the 2-0 goal. Nemec has been so calm, cool and collected at this level and I think his poise with the puck has allowed him to look so good against older competition yet again.

France

#94 Tim Bozon, LW: Bozon assisted the lone goal but had four shots in the opening 40 minutes himself in a nice game for the French forward. The former Montreal Canadiens prospect is the most energetic forward they have, never giving up on a scoring chance and always looking to make a pass. I noticed him quite a bit today, even though he never managed to score.

Germany

#33 JJ Peterka, RW (Buffalo Sabres): While his Sabres teammates were busy getting ejected, Peterka helped the Germans come out on top. He scored on a penalty shot and then scored the 4-2 goal to prevent the late-game comeback by Poland. This is the Peterka we remember from last year – using his energy and anger to make things happen every time he hits the ice.

#42 Yasin Ehliz, C: Ehliz continues to put points on the board. This time, he scored down low to make it 3-0, helping to put the game out of reach. If it wasn’t for the great play by Zabolotny, Ehliz probably would have had another because he looked dangerous around the net.

Poland

#72 David Zabolotny, G: Zabolotny was tasked with trying to give Poland its best chance of winning today and he looked great, especially in the first period with 10 saves. The Germans were more creative and aggressive around the net than Poland but Zabolotny was rock solid throughout the whole contest. Goaltending hasn’t been an issue for Poland at this tournament, at the very least.

Switzerland

#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): Josi is now the first player to crack the 10-point mark after starting off today with two points in the first period. The 2-0 goal was a highlight-reel play as he skated along the circle and deked out a defenseman before sliding the puck past Frederik Dichow. Josi is the early favorite to earn tournament MVP after contributing in each of Switzerland’s game so far. He’s simply been the best.

#21 Kevin Fiala, LW (Los Angeles Kings): With two goals and an assist, it was another excellent game for Fiala. The Kings forward has shown unbelievable chemistry alongside Nico Hischier and they just seemed to keep finding each other often this afternoon. With the way they’re flying high, Switzerland is looking in good shape heading into the playoffs.

#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): After scoring the opening goal at 4:10, Hischier followed up with two more assists before the game even hit the halfway point. He just proved to be too powerful for Denmark to contain, which was highlighted by his second assist when he dangled past two defenders before getting the puck to Fiala. What a game from the Devils star.

#79 Calvin Thurkauf, C: Thurkauf scored a shorthanded goal, set up another and played a hard, physical game. From an overall perspective, Thurkauf made himself such a pain in the butt to play against and that’s what helped take the pressure off Switzerland’s top line in the second half of the game.

Denmark

#86 Joachim Blichfeld, RW: There wasn’t much to be happy about on the Danish roster, but Blichfeld at least put in a good effort. He led the team with three shots and nearly ended Leonardo Genoni’s shutout, but it wasn’t enough. With the Danes lacking NHL offensive talent, Blichfeld has done a lot so far to keep the team in the running, even if he came up short today.

Sweden

#49 Fabian Zetterlund, LW (San Jose Sharks): Two quick goals about 15 seconds apart helped steal the momentum back in Sweden’s favor. Both were perfectly placed shots, although Elvis Merzlikins should have had the first one, at least. Zetterlund has been good, finding ways to generate offense and stay active on the attack with his speed.

#90 Marcus Johansson, RW (Washington Capitals): That was MoJo’s best game of the tournament, registering a goal and two assists. Both were primary – he sat up Jonas Brodin for the 2-0 goal and than Joel Eriksson Ek to make it 5-2. The 7-2 goal was a nice effort between him and Pontus Holmberg, too. He’s been seeing the ice so well in this tournament and today’s game was an excellent effort.

#28 Marcus Pettersson, D (Pittsburgh Penguins): All the attention on Sweden’s roster has surrounded their stout blueline, but Pettersson has gone a bit under the radar. He scored today to make it 6-2, but it was a reward for an otherwise strong game from him, in my opinion. Once Rasmus Dahlin got ejected, I thought Pettersson handled the extra ice time well.

Latvia

#16 Kaspars Daugavins, RW: Who else? Daugavins had a goal and an assist in that brief comeback push by the Latvians, continuing his run as one of the best players in the tournament. It seems like Daugavins is in on most Latvian goals at this point, which you’d expect for someone with NHL experience.

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