<p>Everyone expected a blowout, but it didn’t come easy.</p>



<p>The United States skated out to a 4-1 win over Norway to start off Group B action on the right foot on Tuesday. But Norway gave them a run for their money, going toe-to-toe, shot-wise, throughout the first two periods. USA only had a 26-21 advantage in that department, and the score remained even for the first 30:02 of the contest.</p>



<p>At the halfway mark of the game, things finally started to go the United States’ way. Jimmy Snuggerud to make it 1-0 after some passing around the Norweigan net, before Gavin Brindley scored goals at 34:00 and 36:33 to make it 3-0. Petter Verterheim gave the Norwegians a reason to celebrate with a shorthanded goal at 44:18, but Isaac Howard finished the PP off with a goal to make it 4-1.</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="141"></div>



<p>Here’s a look at the top standouts: </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lines for USA vs. Norway. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> <a href="https://t.co/VmsOOrU82i">pic.twitter.com/VmsOOrU82i</a></p>— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1739673622464127459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



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



<p><strong>#4 Gavin Brindley, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets):</strong> Brindley had one goal in seven games with USA at last year’s event, but he had two in just the second period today. The Blue Jackets forward is full of energy, and even when the Americans were struggling to generate chances in the first, Brindley was noticeable. </p>



<p><strong>#34 Gabe Perreault, LW (New York Rangers):</strong> Perreault was USA’s best player in pre-tournament play and his playmaking was on display again today. He set up Brindley’s second goal and nearly had one of his own in the middle stanza. Perreault has become a better all-around player over the past year, and it shows.</p>



<p><strong>#26 Seamus Casey, D (New Jersey Devils):</strong> Casey set up Jimmy Snuggerud for the first American goal after having two decent scoring chances of his own in the first period. Most eyes will be on Late Hutson, but Casey gave USA’s second line a lot to work with on the point as a fourth forward, essentially.</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="180"></div>



<p><strong>#1 Trey Augustine, G (Detroit Red Wings):</strong> With 21 saves in the first two periods alone, Augustine was significantly busier than most would have expected. Augustine struggled in the pre-tournament, especially compared to Jacob Fowler, but he was tested quite often on Tuesday against a team perhaps the Americans were underestimating. For Augustine’s own sake, it’s a good thing this didn’t go south.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-norway">Norway</h2>



<p><strong>#1 Markus Stensrud, G (Undrafted):</strong> This was a given, unless he instead allowed 10 goals in an absolute blowout. Instead, Stensrud had 40 saves, including 17 in the third period as the Americans completely dominated the puck. Stensrud will need to be so good against Switzerland later in this tournament if they’re going to avoid heading to the relegation round.</p>



<p><strong>#28 Michael Nygaard-Brandsegg, RW (2024 NHL Draft)</strong>: Norway’s top draft prospect was in hyper-mode all game long, attacking defenders and chasing down pucks. He had some difficult matchups, but MNB’s effort was as good as anyone’s in the game.</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="162"></div>



<p><strong>#13 Petter Vesterheim, C (Undrafted):</strong> It only made sense that the team’s top center scored in this one. He played all situations for the Americans, including the power play and penalty kill. His goal came while shorthanded, pressuring USA to make a mistake at the blueline before beating Augustine with a nice move. A good effort from one of Norway’s most important players.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity">



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="727" height="404" src="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale.png" alt="" class="wp-image-134269" srcset="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale.png 727w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale-300x167.png 300w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale-150x83.png 150w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale-600x333.png 600w, https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFO-Boxing-Week-Sale-696x387.png 696w" sizes="(max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px"></a></figure>



<p><em>Nation&nbsp;Gear’s Boxing Week Bonanza is BIGGER and BETTER than ever! From Dec 26th-31st, 2023, save 15% on ALL merch &amp; unlock FREE shipping on orders over $200. Check out the collections and grab some gear at&nbsp;<a href="http://nationgear.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nationgear.ca</a></em></p>
