<p>The opening game of the 2024 World Junior Championship started with a rivalry matchup, and it ended with Slovakia taking a 6-2 win over Czechia.</p>



<p>Czechia had a mix of speed and relentless forechecking, allowing them to pin the Slovaks in their own zone early. But Slovakia didn’t back down, and after starting the game trailing 1-0, they were the far better team in the second period and capitalized with Servac Petrovsky’s tying goal. Peter Repcik’s goal at 38:34 gave the Slovaks its first lead in a period that saw them control the scoring chances.</p>



<p>From there, the Slovaks scored three goals in a five-minute stretch – including a shorthanded marker from Boris Zabka – to change the course of the game. Slovakia was in full control, with the Czechs taking costly penalties and struggling to gain any form of momentum. </p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="142"></div>



<p>Of note, Adam Jiricek – one of the top 2024 NHL Draft prospects in the tournament – injured his right leg in the second period. He came back out to start the third, but again hurt the same leg and left the game for good. We’ll have to see his status for the rest of the tournament, as Jiricek was expected to be an important part of Czechia’s blueline as an underage.</p>



<p>Here’s a look at the top performers on both teams on Tuesday afternoon in Gothenburg:</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lines for Slovakia vs. Czechia to kick off the 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> in Gothenburg. <a href="https://t.co/I13iD0NHmo">pic.twitter.com/I13iD0NHmo</a></p>— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1739601556280897865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-czechia">Czechia</h2>



<p><strong>#19 Ondrej Becher, RW (Undrafted): </strong>It was a simple, quick play, but his quick-touch pass to Dominik Rymon a minute in led to the game’s opening goal. From my viewings, Becher is a smart forward who’s always got his head moving, looking for the right play. After going undrafted a second time due to an underwhelming season in Prince George last year, I feel like Becher has evolved as a thinker, allowing him to make much more effective passes this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finished with 100 points in the WHL.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="195"></div>



<p><strong>#24 Matyas Sapovaliv, C (Vegas Golden Knights): </strong>The Czechs didn’t get much out of Jiri Kulich or Eduard Sale, but Sapovaliv looked good for them instead. The team’s first line center played a good two-way game while not shying away from physical play either. He eventually scored Czechia’s second goal of the game, but the score was well out of reach at that point. Sapovaliv has shown in OHL that he can outthink players on the rush, but today’s game felt more like he was focused on keeping the puck away from his own goaltender.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Slovakia</h2>



<p><strong>#30 Adam Gajan, G (Chicago Blackhawks): </strong>The Slovaks need Gajan to be nearly perfect if the Slovaks are going to shake things up in this tournament. He was especially good in the first period, stopping a flurry of chances as the Czechs dominated puck possession. That came in clutch as the Slovaks took control in the second period, with Gajan’s early game saves keeping the Slovaks in this one.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="164"></div>



<p><strong>#22 Alex Ciernik, LW (Philadelphia Flyers): </strong>I’ve seen some hit-and-miss efforts from Ciernik, but he gave the Slovaks its best chance in the first, which helped spark some late-period momentum. If this is the type of effort we’re to expect from Ciernik, I like Slovakia’s odds because they’ll need him to bring the energy and the open-ice awareness we know he’s capable of.</p>



<p><strong>#10 Filip Mesar, RW (Montreal Canadiens):</strong> Mesar has been on a roll this year with Kitchener, and he helped the Slovaks generate quite a few opportunities early in the second period. His cross-ice pass to Servac Petrovsky was nice, leading to the first goal just minutes after nearly ending the deadlock even earlier. He then snagged two more assists early in the third to make it a three-point game. Mesar is one of Slovakia’s top players, and he’ll need to keep playing like that going forward.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="149"></div>



<p><strong>#18 Servac Petrovsky, C (Minnesota Wild):</strong> Speaking of Petrovsky, he came so close to scoring in the first minute of the second, but he made up for it with his power-play blast. In open ice, few Slovaks can shoot like him, but he also had some good setup feeds both on the PP and at 5-on-5. His penalty kill effort was instrumental on the fourth goal, and then he scored again to make it 5-1. Great game all around from the returning center.</p>



<p><strong>#14 Adam Sykora, RW (New York Rangers):</strong> We couldn’t keep the lone remaining top-line forward off this, could we? Sykora’s energy was abundant, landing hits, chasing down pucks and even setting up the second Slovak goal. Sykora is a slick passer, but his dog-on-a-bone mentality has stood out for me the past few years.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="137"></div>



<p><strong>#27 Samuel Honzek, RW (Calgary Flames):</strong> You couldn’t tell this was just Honzek’s sixth game of the season. After two difficult WJCs, including an injury-shortened 2023 event, the big forward jabbed in the third goal after some good work around the net. With a big frame, he takes away sight and space away from opponents, and it paid off with that goal. There’s a reason he gets time on the power play. </p>



<p><strong>#4 Maxim Strbak, D (Chicago Blackhawks): </strong>With no Simon Nemec, Slovakia is going to lean on Strbak heavily. They did today, and it paid off with a goal and an assist in the third period to help make it a big advantage for the Slovaks. He blocked shots, killed penalties and truly looked like a No. 1 defenseman in his third showing at this event.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="138"></div>



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