Results
Czech Republic 2, Switzerland 1 (OT)
United States 2, Slovakia 1
Canada 14, Denmark 0
Sweden 2, Finland 1
Five things we learned
A Canadian keeper
Michael DiPietro (Vancouver Canucks) wasn’t busy Wednesday but that didn’t stop coach Tim Hunter from naming him the No. 1 goaltender for Canada after he made 14 saves in a 14-0 win against Denmark to open the 2019 World Junior Championship at Rogers Centre.
Ian Scott (Toronto Maple Leafs) will start for Canada against Switzerland on Thursday, but Hunter said the starting job beyond that belongs to DiPietro.
“Mikey started the first game because we believe in Mikey. You start the regular season with your No. 1 goalie and you start the tournament with Mikey, and he showed he can play well,” Hunter said. “So, it’s not really an evaluation process, Mikey is our guy, he is going to carry the load and we’re quite capable of putting Ian in as well.”
DiPietro, who won a Memorial Cup with Windsor in 2017 and was named the Ontario Hockey League goaltender of the year in 2018, was a late cut from Canada last season. He made his best saves while facing seven first-period shots in his WJC debut, got an assist with a stretch pass, and stopped Danish forward Phillip Schultz on penalty shot in the third period.
“I’ve never been a part of a game where I’ve made as many saves as we had goals,” he said. “Anytime you get a shot under your belt, you feel like you’re in control. It makes you feel like you’re six-foot-10 in the net. You slowly gain more confidence, you get a feel for the game.”
United States survives scare
The United States showed resolve with the game on the line in a 2-1 win against Slovakia in Group B action at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
The U.S. overcame a big effort by Slovakia goalie Samuel Hlavaj (32 saves), a B-rated goalie in NHL Central Scouting’s Player to Watch list for the 2019 NHL Draft, to win its 12th straight opener.
Defenseman Michael Anderson (Los Angeles Kings) and Evan Barratt (Chicago Blackhawks) scored in the third period, and goalie Kyle Keyser (Boston Bruins) made 13 saves, including a penalty shot attempt 13:15 into the third, to help maintain the lead.
“I tried to stay as patient as possible and not give up my ice (on the penalty shot),” Keyser told the IIHF website. “I wanted to hold my ground as much as I can. I could see he was trying to shoot five-hole, so I tried to close it as quick as possible.”
Coach Mike Hastings wasn’t happy with the start but pleased with the finish.
“That game was far from perfect, but good teams have to find ways to win tough games and this team did that,” Hastings said. “The first one is a hard one in this tournament, so I’m glad we got it.”
Video: Highlights from the Slovakia vs. USA matchup
Positive perspective for Swiss
Switzerland captain Nando Eggenberger, a C-rated skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list, said his country could give Canada a run when they meet in in Group A on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TSN, NHLN [joined in progress]).
Switzerland lost 2-1 in overtime against the Czech Republic on Wednesday at Rogers Centre but players and coach Christian Wohlwend remain optimistic, pointing to the 14 underage players returning to the lineup from the 2018 WJC.
“We know now; we knew before, but we now know that we are a very good team and we can beat anyone and self-confidence is much bigger now,” Eggenberger said. “If we have the same passion and same game like [against Czech Republic], I think we can beat Canada.”
Switzerland lost 8-2 against Canada in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 tournament in Buffalo. At that time, Wohlwend said the Canadians “can do everything better” than his team.
“In this age group, 12 months is huge,” he said. “You can grow physically, you can grow tactical, individual, everything. The [players] have way bigger roles than what they had last year in their teams. They play men’s hockey and that’s why we are for sure more competitive.”
Zadina admiring Elias on Czech bench
Filip Zadina (Detroit Red Wings) was not only happy he could play in the WJC after an injury scare with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, but the fact the forward gets a chance to be mentored by 20-year NHL veteran forward Patrik Elias, an assistant coach with the Czech Republic.
“He’s a huge presence,” Zadina said. “I always looked up to a player like him and (Jaromir) Jagr and (Tomas) Plekanec,” Zadina said. “It’s huge for us to have him on the bench. He had a huge career in the NHL and now he’s trying to help us to maybe have the same career he had. He’s trying to help us with little things in the O-zone.”
Zadina, 19, had 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 27 games in the AHL, and didn’t appear affected by the lower-body injury that kept him out of one AHL game shortly before being loaned to the Czech Republic to play in his second WJC.
He had one shot, hit the crossbar with another and created several scoring chances against Switzerland with slick individual moves.
“I’m feeling good, I am feeling comfortable and trying to skate with the puck,” Zadina said. “It’s feeling better than I felt right after the hit.”
The streak continues for Swedes
Sweden celebrated its 45th straight victory in preliminary-round action at the World Junior Championship with a 2-1 win against Finland in Group B at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Erik Brannstrom (Vegas Golden Knights) scored two power-play goals, and goalie Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers) made 29 saves for Sweden, which hasn’t lost a preliminary-round match at the WJC since a 3-2 overtime loss against the United States on Dec. 31, 2006.
Sweden has outscored its opponents 236-78 during that stretch, winning one gold medal and five silver medals.
In the all-time series against Finland at the WJC, Sweden has 18 wins, 16 loses and has tied its rival twice.
What’s next | Complete schedule
Thursday
Russia vs. Denmark (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)
Slovakia vs. Sweden (6:30 p.m. ET; TSN)
Switzerland vs. Canada (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)
Finland vs. Kazakhstan (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)
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