The United States has a favorable history against Canada in title games at the World Junior Men's Hockey Championship, having won three of its four titles against its northern neighbors (2004, 2010, 2017).
Tuesday's championship game continued the strong tradition.
The United States won its fifth title with a 2-0 defeat of Team Canada, with Boston College/Florida Panthers goalkeeper Spencer Knight securing the shutout with 34 saves—the first championship shutout in nine years.
Without production from his teammates, Canada netminder Devon Levi prevented the champions from running up the score by making 19 saves.
Notable Performers
Trevor Zegras Breaks Down Devon Levi
Devon Levi was far from a household name heading into this year's tournament, having played in the Central Canada Hockey League at the Junior A level and missing out on a chance to make a name for himself at the NCAA level as a freshman this year at Northeastern, since the Hockey East season was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the Florida Panthers recruit had been the hero for Canada throughout the World Juniors. He entered Tuesday's finale with a 0.53 goals against average and a 97.5 save percentage, which could break a record set by Carey Price in 2007 (97.5 save percentage). He has posted three shutouts through six games, and the Canadians hadn't allowed a goal at even strength throughout the tournament before Tuesday.
But for all the dominance in net, Team USA has been able to counter with a standout star on offense: Trevor Zegras.
Heading into Tuesday's game, the forward was tied with Canada forward Dylan Cozens for the lead in points with 16. Zegras had tallied six goals, but his prowess shines in creating chances for his teammates. He was credited with 10 assists through five games.
On Tuesday, he continued his scoring. After assisting on Alex Turcotte's opening goal in the first period (the first even-strength goal allowed by Canada all tournament), he scored his own to give them some breathing room 32 seconds into the middle period.
With the assist, he tied the record for most career assists at the tournament (20), and his goal gave him a tie for the all-time career points record (27).
While Canada struggled to get on the board, Levi prevented any extraneous damage, ending the night with 19 saves.
Spencer Knight Stands Up to Canada's Balanced Attack
On the other side of the ice from Levi was the tournament's second-ranked goaltender, Spencer Knight.
The Boston College netminder and Florida Panthers recruit posted a 1.98 goals against average while saving 92.2 percent of pucks that came his way entering Tuesday, though he entered the championship game off of a shaky semifinal outing that saw the United States nearly eliminated by Finland. The Finns found two third-period goals to even the score before Arthur Kaliyev was the last-chance hero for the U.S. with a goal under the two-minute mark.
Canada has boasted a balanced attack throughout the tournament. In Monday's semifinal game against Russia, five different skaters scored in the team's 5-0 shutout victory.
But on Sunday, Canada couldn't find any production that could get past Knight in net. Even as the top line of Bowen Byram, Jamie Drysdale, Jakob Pelletier, Connor McMichael and Dylan Cozens piled on to him for a total of 14 shots, Knight was a wall between the pipes, even as Canada played with six skaters for much of the final two minutes.
Knight made 34 saves to lead the U.S. to victory.
What's Next?
The 2022 World Junior Men's Hockey Championship will be played in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, from Dec. 26, 2021 through Jan. 5, 2022.
The 2022 tournament was originally awarded to Sweden, but it was moved to the two Alberta cities that were set to host this year's tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them into a bubble format in Edmonton.
Sweden will host the 2024 tournament.
It'll be Canada and the United States battling for the World Junior Championship title on Tuesday night in Edmonton, Alberta.
In the first semifinal game Monday, five different skaters scored for Canada while Devon Levi backstopped them to a 5-0 shutout of Russia. In the second semifinal of the day, Arthur Kaliyev's last-chance goal lifted the U.S. to a 4-3 defeat of Finland after the Finns fought back from a 3-1 third-period deficit.
Notable Performers
How the Finns Handled Trevor Zegras
Entering Monday, Trevor Zegras led all scorers with 15 points, with six goals and nine assists. While Finnish netminder Kari Piiroinen had managed just fine throughout the tournament, with a 2.01 GAA while allowing eight goals and stopping 89 shots, his teammates would need to step up to prevent Zegras from encroaching on the net.
They managed in the first period, sort of. Though Zegras didn't play a role in Alex Turcotte's goal that put the U.S. up 1-0, he was on the ice at the time. Brock Faber and Arthur Kaliyev earned the assists.
John Farinacci potted the go-ahead in the second frame, assisted by Jackson LaCombe.
Zegras finally got a stick on what would have been the winner, joining forces with Cole Caufield to get the puck to Matthew Boldy at the post for the 3-1 lead, but Finland crawled back to tie the game.
Kaliyev was the hero to send the team to the championship.
Though he had a quieter night Sunday, Zegras still managed to move deeper into the record books by tying Jeremy Roenick for second all-time for most points by an American skater at a WJC, while his 25th career point also tied Roenick, according to ESPN's Chris Peters.
He needs three points to tie the USA record for points at a single WJC and is two away from the USA career record at the WJC.
Power-Play Trends Reversed
Finland has played dirty throughout the tournament, with 62 penalty minutes on 21 minor calls to lead all countries entering Monday. The United States had capitalized on penalties on its way through to the semifinals, scoring eight of its 30 goals on the power play while converting the advantage into a goal 42 percent of the time.
The trend was reversed early in the game when the U.S. was whistled twice in the first period and Finland was able to capitalize to score the equalizer.
While the U.S. picked up its third penalty of the game in the middle of the second period, it was able to kill it off successfully. A double-minor penalty on Finland forward Aku Raty for a high stick resulted in an insurance goal for the U.S. from Matthew Boldy.
It was a power-play goal that allowed Finland to tie the game in the end, too.
If the U.S. wants to upset the defending champions Tuesday, it will have to continue to play the clean game that got it this far in the first place.
Canada's Balanced Attack
Boasting the strongest offense in the tournament, with 36 goals to lead all countries entering Monday's game, there hasn't been one star who's stood out among the rest in Edmonton. Nearly every player on Canada's roster has recorded at least one point.
Forward Dylan Cozens ranked second among all skaters with 13 points by way of seven goals and six assists entering Monday, while a bulk of other skaters were further down the ranks. Peyton Krebs added eight points through five games, while Connor McMichael and Quinton Byfield had seven each before the semifinal.
On Monday, five different skaters potted goals for the 2020 champions: Alex Newhook, McMichael, Cole Perfetti, Braden Schneider and Cozens.
Even goalkeeper Devon Levi tried to get in on the fun.
Russia's Wavering Wall in Net
Russian goaltender Yaroslav Askarov had an up-and-down tournament leading into Monday's semifinal game, having allowed nine goals through four games with a 2.22 GAA, the highest among the four semifinalist goaltenders.
Against a Canada offense that posted a tournament-high 36 goals scored entering Monday, Askarov needed to be on if he was going to have a chance at exacting revenge onto the 2020 champions.
He got off to a tough start when he allowed a near-immediate goal to Newhook, who missed Canada's previous outing with a shoulder injury, with just 59 seconds off the clock, and he wasn't able to recover from Canada's offensive onslaught.
Askarov had a highlight-reel moment in the second quarter when he denied a penalty shot awarded to Cozens.
But he had a difficult time holding on to his stick, resulting in a fourth goal for Canada, the creation of a Twitter account from the point of view of the forgotten stick and many questions from those watching.
The defending champions ended the night with five goals on 35 shots.
Canada countered with Levi between the pipes, and the Northeastern netminder—who has yet to appear in an NCAA game—has now allowed just three goals in six outings, with three shutouts.
On Monday, he made 28 saves to lead Canada to another stifling of Russia.
What's Next?
Canada will play the United States for the gold medal on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The third-place game between Russia and Finland will be played at 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The World Junior Championships are inching closer to a gold-medal game between Canada and the United States.
Only Russia and Finland can stop it.
The two North American powerhouses made easy work of their quarterfinal draws Saturday as the U.S. downed Slovakia and Canada shut out the Czech Republic. Dylan Cozens and Trevor Zegras continued their battle for the title of the WJC's leading scorer, and each earned at least one more game to make their mark.
Here's a look at how the action played out at Rogers Place.
2020 World Junior Hockey Championships: Quarterfinals
Russia def. Germany, 2-1
Finland def. Sweden, 3-2
Canada def. Czech Republic, 3-0
USA def. Slovakia, 5-2
Notable Performers
Dylan Cozens, F, Canada: 1 goal, 1 assist
Levi Devon, G, Canada: 29 saves, 0 goals allowed
Danil Bashkirov, F, Russia: 1 goal
Tim Stuetzle, F, Germany: 0 points, 3 SOG
Lucas Raymond, F, Sweden: 1 goal, 1 assist
John Farinacci, F, USA: 2 goals, 7 SOG
Trevor Zegras, F, USA: 2 assists, 4 SOG
2020 World Junior Hockey Championship: Semifinals (Jan. 4)
Canada vs. Russia
USA vs. Finland
Russia 2, Germany 1
Tim Stuetzle's tournament is over. His NHL career is on deck.
The No. 3 pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2020 couldn't keep his scoring touch alive, and it cost Germany a spot in the semifinals. After posting five goals and five assists in the preliminary round, Stuetzle couldn't get on the scoresheet Saturday, save for the misfortune of being on the ice for a goal against.
Instead, it was Russia and its sensational goalie, Yaroslav Askarov, powering through to a Monday matchup with Canada, which will have a trip to the gold-medal game on the line.
Russia broke open the scoring midway through the first period with a short-handed goal from Vasili Ponomaryov.
The fourth-liner caught Germany's defensemen off guard while cherry-picking at center ice, while Russia seemingly grabbed the puck for a clearing attempt. Instead, defenseman Semyon Chistyakov sent a stretch pass right onto the stick of Ponomaryov, who skated in alone and deked his way into an open net for the goal.
Russia struck again midway through the second period as Yegor Afanasyev found Danil Bashkirov with a pass from behind the net that he put into the top left corner.
Florian Elias got one goal back early in the third period, but Askarov, a 2020 first-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators, turned away the other seven shots he saw in the frame to skate off with 19 saves on 20 attempts.
Finland 3, Sweden 2
Arguably the most dramatic game of Saturday's slate saw Finland rally from a 2-0 first-period deficit to stun the Swedes and advance to the semis.
Lucas Raymond and Elmer Soderblom scored 97 seconds apart late in the first, only for Sweden to get shut out the rest of the game.
It was a minor breakthrough for Raymond, a Detroit Red Wings prospect, who struggled to get on the scoresheet throughout his tournament run despite playing on Sweden's top line. However, his lone goal on Saturday showed why the Red Wings think so highly of him.
The forward drifted down the left half-boards looking to pass until he got below the faceoff dot and quickly turned to fire on net. Raymond had both the defense and goalie Kari Piiroinen fooled, as they bit so hard in trying to block passing lanes that it opened up a window straight to the net.
It's a great note to end on as Raymond heads off to training camp in Detroit next week. The rest of Sweden wasn't much luckier.
Finland began to climb back with a second-period goal from forward Henri Nikkanen before Anton Lundell evened things up at two with a power-play goal midway through the third period. Roni Hirvonen would get to play the hero for the Fins to end the night.
Just when it seemed like Finland missed its opportunity at a game-winner only moments before, Hirvonen picked up a loose puck behind the net and jammed it past the pads of Hugo Alnefelt (31 saves, 3 goals allowed) with 25 seconds remaining.
Canada 3, Czech Republic 0
Canada's leading scorer used the quarterfinals to pad his point total and make history.
Center Dylan Cozens notched a goal and an assist to move to 13 points in five games (seven goals, six assists) and passed John Tavares for the sixth-most career points at the WJC in team history (22 points). Not bad for a 19-year-old in his second tournament.
Cozens vs. Canadian history turned out to be a better matchup than Canada vs. Czech Republic, as the tournament's host nation moved onto the semifinals as expected.
Connor McMichael also added a goal and an assist with a game-high four shots on net as Devon Levi backstopped his way to a second shutout in his last three games. Levi made 29 saves Saturday after turning aside all 15 shots he faced in a preliminary game against Switzerland.
The Florida Panthers prospect leads all goalies in the tournament with a 0.64 goals against average and 96.7 save percentage. He's given up three goals total on 91 shot attempts.
That'll be an extremely tough challenge against Russia in the semis as Levi and Cozens continue to provide all the firepower the Canadians need.
USA 5, Slovakia 2
The Americans remained as dominant as they've looked all tournament, setting WJC records en route to a 5-2 victory over Slovakia that momentarily got too close for comfort.
Heading into the game, the United States had scored 22 unanswered goals and would score three more against Slovakia before the streak was snapped by Matei Kaslik with barely 90 seconds left in the second period. The U.S. holds the longest team shutout streak in WJC history at 218 minutes, 53 seconds.
Slovakia can take pride in making sure it didn't go on a second longer, if nothing else.
John Farinacci netted two goals, and forward Trevor Zegras added two assists to move his tournament-leading point total to 15 (six goals, nine assists) and remain two points ahead of Canada's Cozens.
Cole Caufield showed off his absurd accuracy and strength with a five-on-three power-play goal late in the second period as he rifled a snap shot past goalie Simon Latkoczy (41 shot attempts, 4 goals allowed).
Dominik Sojka scored the second goal of the night for Slovakia midway through the third period to make it a 3-2 game with 10 minutes to play, but the U.S. responded with Farinacci's second of the contest just six minutes later. When the pressure turned up, the Americans were ready to match it.
That'll certainly come in handy on Monday when they take on a high-scoring Finland team with a berth in the championship game on the line.
Russia survived a late surge from the United States to reach the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship semifinals with a 4-3 win Thursday at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Canada's own comeback bid against Switzerland was successful as New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson scored with less than a second left in regulation to force overtime. Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone found the net just over five minutes into OT to advance the Canadians.
Finland and the Czech Republic also earned victories in Thursday's quarterfinals.
May 23 Quarterfinal Results
(B1) Russia 4, (A4) United States 3
(A1) Canada 3, (B4) Switzerland 2 (OT)
(B2) Czech Republic 5, (A3) Germany 1
(A2) Finland 5, (B3) Sweden 4 (OT)
May 25 Semifinal Schedule
(B1) Russia vs. (A2) Finland
(A1) Canada vs. (B2) Czech Republic
Russia 4, United States 3
Nikita Gusev, who signed with the Golden Knights in April, opened the scoring for Russia just over a minute into the first period, and the Red Machine went on to never trail in the contest.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko also lit the lamp for the tournament's only undefeated team. Gusev and Sergachev chipped in two assists each.
The United States, which trailed by two during three separate stretches, trimmed Russia's advantage to one with just under three minutes remaining on an Alex DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks) goal. Despite a late push, the Americans could never find an equalizer.
Brady Skjei (New York Rangers) and Noah Hanifin (Calgary Flames) also scored for the U.S.
Although the American offense showcased medal potential, the defense was too porous throughout the tournament, as illustrated by allowing three goals to a weak Great Britain squad earlier in the event. The weakness in their own zone led to their elimination Thursday.
Canada 3, Switzerland 2 (OT)
Canada took being on the brink of elimination to the extreme as Severson unleashed a blast in the final seconds that trickled across the goal line with 0.4 seconds left to tie the game.
Switzerland did well to bounce back from the shock, outshooting the Canadians 4-3 in overtime, but Stone came through in the clutch to keep the Group A winner alive. It was his second tally of the contest after scoring the team's first goal in the second period.
Sven Andrighetto (Colorado Avalanche) and Nico Hischier (Devils) had found the net to put the Swiss within moments of completing a massive upset.
Switzerland netminder Leonardo Genoni also shined with 39 saves in the hard-fought loss.
Czech Republic 5, Germany 1
The Czech Republic scored four unanswered goals in the third period to pull away from Germany.
After a physical first period that saw no goals and four penalties, the teams both got on the scoreboard in the second. Jan Kovar netted his fourth of the tournament for the Czechs before Frank Mauer leveled the game for the Germans shortly before the intermission.
It was all Czech Republic in the third, though. Captain Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers) started the barrage just over four minutes into the period. Dominik Kubalik and Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay Lightning) followed before Kovar added his second of the night to wrap up the win.
Patrik Bartosak made 21 saves, including a couple of key stops in the first 40 minutes, to earn the victory in net for the Czechs.
Finland 5, Sweden 4 (OT)
Sakari Manninen played the role of hero for Finland as he scored 97 seconds into overtime to eliminate the two-time defending champion Swedes.
It was a wild battle between the Nordic rivals with seven goals over the first two periods.
Sweden entered the third period with a 4-3 lead thanks to markers from John Klingberg (Dallas Stars), Patric Hornqvist (Pittsburgh Penguins), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) and Erik Gustafsson (Blackhawks).
Marko Anttila tied the game for Finland with 1:29 left in regulation, however, which opened the door for Manninen to punch the team's ticket to the semis.
Niko Mikkola, Petteri Lindbohm and Jani Hakanpaa also scored for the Finns.
The United States scored two third-period goals Sunday to defeat Germany and clinch a berth in the knockout rounds at the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship in Slovakia.
Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic also picked up victories on Day 10 of the tournament. Those three countries along with Canada, Germany and Switzerland will join Team USA in the quarterfinal bracket. Sweden is the heavy favorite to claim the last spot over the final two days of pool play.
Let's check out he complete set of scores from Sunday. That's followed by a recap of the action.
May 19 Results
Group A: United States 3, Germany 1
Group B: Czech Republic 8, Austria 0
Group A: Finland 3, France 0
Group B: Russia 3, Switzerland 0
Visit the IIHF's official website for the updated tournament standings.
United States 3, Germany 1
The Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin scored just over 10 minutes into the third period to break a 1-1 tie and the Buffalo Sabres' Jack Eichel added an insurance marker six minutes later to secure the U.S.'s fifth straight win since a tournament-opening loss to host nation Slovakia.
Frederik Tiffels had given the Germans a lead midway through the opening period, but James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia Flyers) tied the contest less than two minutes later.
Over 36 minutes of scoreless hockey followed before Larkin came through in the clutch for Team USA. A loss to Germany would have left one of the pre-tournament favorites on the brink of elimination heading into its pool-play finale against rival Canada.
Instead, the Americans are safely through to the quarterfinals thanks in large part to 24 saves from New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider, who played his best game of the event.
Tuesday will see the United States face off with Canada and Germany battling Finland as the four qualified teams from Group A fight for bracket positioning.
Czech Republic 8, Austria 0
Michal Repík scored twice to pace the Czech offense in a rout of Austria. It's the second consecutive 8-0 win for the six-time world champions, who beat Italy by the same score Friday.
Six other players—Radek Faksa (Dallas Stars), Dominik Simon (Pittsburgh Penguins), Michael Frolík (Calgary Flames), Jakub Vrana (Washington Capitals), Jan Kolar and Dominik Kubalík—lit the lamp in a well-rounded effort. Pavel Francouz (Colorado Avalanche) made 16 saves to secure the shutout.
Dominic Zwerger led the Austrians with three shots on goal.
Austria will finish group play Monday against Italy in a clash of 0-6 teams, and the winner will avoid relegation. The Czech Republic takes on Switzerland on Tuesday to close out its journey through Group B.
Finland 3, France 0
Finland maintained its place atop Group A with a win in an unexpectedly close game against France.
The Lions controlled the pace of play throughout, highlighted by their 47-21 advantage in shots, but French netminder Florian Hardy made 44 stops to keep the underdogs within striking distance. It wasn't until Jere Sallinen made it 3-0 with less than eight minutes left the three points felt secure.
Joel Kiviranta and Niko Mikkola also lit the lamp for the Finns.
Finland can secure the top seed from Group A by beating Germany on Tuesday. France must beat Great Britain on Monday in order to avoid relegation.
Russia 3, Switzerland 0
Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov, the expected 2019 Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's MVP, scored two goals to take over the tournament lead in points (14) as Russia continues to establish itself as the team to beat in Slovakia.
Artem Anisimov (Chicago Blackhawks) added the other goal for the Russians, while Alexandar Georgiev (New York Rangers) recorded a 31-save shutout.
Lino Martschini posted a game-high seven shots for the Swiss.
Russia can become the only team to make it through pool play undefeated if it beats Sweden on Tuesday. Switzerland and the Czech Republic also play Tuesday in what's basically a bracket-placement game.
Russia remained undefeated at the 2019 World Hockey Championship in Slovakia on Saturday, while both the United States and Canada were victorious as well.
In the best and most significant game of the day, Sweden beat Switzerland 4-3 to create a three-way tie with Switzerland and the Czech Republic for second place in Group B behind Russia.
Here is a rundown of the final scores for all six games played Saturday in Slovakia, along with a recap of how each contest played out.
May 18 Results
Group A: United States 7, Denmark 1
Group B: Russia 3, Latvia 1
Group A: Canada 8, Germany 1
Group B: Norway 7, Italy 1
Group A: Slovakia 7, Great Britain 1
Group B: Sweden 4, Switzerland 3
Visit the IIHF's official website to see the updated standings for pool play.
USA 7, Denmark 1
Team USA kicked off play at the World Hockey Championship on Saturday with a big 7-1 win over Denmark, marking its fourth consecutive victory since losing to host Slovakia.
The Americans jumped all over Denmark in the first period with four unanswered goals from the midway point of the period on.
Denmark finally got on the board with a goal from Nick Olesen in the second period, but Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat replenished the four-goal advantage with his second tally of the game from Blackhawks teammate Patrick Kane.
Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin made it 6-1 later in the second period, and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel put an exclamation point on the victory with his first goal of the tournament in the third.
Eichel finished with a goal and an assist, while Kane recorded three assists. DeBrincat registered two goals and one assist, giving him six goals and two assists in the tournament.
The dominant win over Denmark was no small feat for Team USA since the Danes previously lost to Finland by two and Germany by one.
While games against Germany and Canada remain, the Americans are fairly comfortably in position to reach the quarterfinals currently.
Russia 3, Latvia 1
Russia overcame a 1-0 deficit through one period to beat Latvia 3-1 and remain undefeated with a perfect 5-0-0-0 record at the World Hockey Championship on Saturday.
Latvia shocked the Russians when Oskars Cibulskis scored midway through the opening period to give Latvia a 1-0 lead that would last until the early stages of the second frame.
Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov tied it just 27 seconds into the second, while Nikita Gusev gave Russia the lead just over three minutes later.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward and presumptive 2018-19 Hart Memorial Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov gave Russia the insurance marker it needed later in the period, and the Russians held on to the 3-1 margin to score another win.
The game was as close as the score would indicate since Russia only out-shot Latvia 33-27 in the game after thoroughly dominating in most of its previous games.
Despite not yet getting the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin going in the tournament thus far, Russia is still undefeated, and it has a good chance to seize the No. 1 seed in Group B.
The Russians still have two tough group games remaining, though, against Switzerland and Sweden.
Canada 8, Germany 1
Germany suffered its first loss at the 2019 World Hockey Championship on Saturday, as Canada dominated from start to finish in an 8-1 rout.
The Canadians were anchored by big performances from Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone and Detroit Red Wings winger Anthony Mantha. Stone scored three of Canada's first four goals in his hat trick effort, while Mantha scored twice in the third period and now has a tournament-leading seven goals.
It was apparent from the early going that Germany was in for a tough day, as Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot scored 2:01 into the game.
Stone added a goal late in the first and scored again in the second before Yasin Ehliz cut the deficit to 3-1 for Germany. Stone scored again less than one minute later, though, and Canada then proceeded to take full control in the third.
Canada peppered Germany in the final frame and scored four goals to produce the final margin of 8-1. Germany was out-shot by a 49-16 margin after picking up wins over Great Britain, Denmark, France and Slovakia previously.
With the win, Canada is now tied with Germany in Group A, as they are both 4-0-0-1 with 12 points. Canada has a shot to win the group with games against Denmark and the United States remaining.
Meanwhile, Germany still has to face Team USA and Finland after having already played the easy part of its schedule.
Norway 7, Italy 1
Norway destroyed Italy 7-1 at the 2019 World Hockey Championship on Saturday, which ensures that it will not be relegated to a lower division next year.
While the game looks one-sided on paper, it wasn't until the third period that Norway truly started to impose its will.
After a goal by Norway's Alexander Reichenberg in the first period, there was not another goal in the game until 1:47 into the third when Matthias Trettenes gave Norway a 2-0 advantage. Italy then cut the lead in half 16 seconds later with a goal from Angelo Miceli.
Following that Italian goal, Norway ripped off five consecutive goals, which helped it improve to 2-0-0-4, while Italy fell to 0-0-0-6.
Norway's only remaining game is against Latvia, which means it could realistically finish with a respectable record of three wins and four losses.
Italy's final group game will come against winless Austria in a game that will decide who gets relegated and knocked out of the World Hockey Championship next year.
Slovakia 7, Great Britain 1
Host Slovakia kept its slim hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Hockey Championship alive Saturday with a 7-1 win over Great Britain.
It took only two minutes for the Slovaks to seize control of the game, as Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera scored 2:04 in and Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Tatar added another goal 21 seconds later to make it 2-0.
Mike Hammond scored late in the first for the Brits after a Martin Marincin goal made it 3-0 in favor of Slovakia, but Great Britain never posed a true threat.
Slovakia went on to score three unanswered goals in the second period, and then David Bondra scored late in the third for Slovakia to make it 7-1.
The win helped Slovakia improve to 3-0-0-3, giving it nine points in the tournament with one game to play. The Slovaks are two points behind Team USA, who have two games remaining against Germany and Canada.
That means Slovakia must beat Denmark in its final game of group play and get some help.
Meanwhile, Great Britain has now lost all six of its games, and provided France does not garner more than one point in its next game against Finland, the meeting between Great Britain and France will determine who gets relegated.
Sweden 4, Switzerland 3
Sweden handed Switzerland its first loss of the tournament at the 2019 World Hockey Championship on Saturday thanks to a goal by Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to break a 3-3 tie in the third period.
After Gaetan Haas tied the score at 3-3 for Switzerland midway through the final frame, a trailing Ekman-Larsson took a pass from Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander and scored what ended up being the game-winner just 1:20 later:
While most of Saturday's games were blowouts, that wasn't the case in the clash between Sweden and Switzerland. No team ever led by more than one goal, and the lead changed on numerous occasions throughout.
Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson gave Sweden the 3-2 lead in the second, but Haas tied it for Switzerland in the third before Ekman-Larsson netted the decisive marker.
Nylander was the top performer in the contest for the Swedes with one goal and two assists.
Both Sweden and Switzerland are now 4-0-0-1 in the tournament and have 12 points apiece. They are tied with the Czech Republic and trail Russia by three points.
Sweden has games remaining against Latvia and Russia, while Switzerland has yet to play Russia and the Czech Republic.
Some of the world's hockey powers flexed their might during Wednesday's group play at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Slovakia.
The United States and Russia each won in convincing fashion, maintaining their spots near or at the top of the group standings. Elsewhere, Switzerland handled Norway and Germany stunned the host country in the final two minutes.
Here is a look at the full results from Wednesday's slate.
Wednesday Scores
Group A: United States defeats Great Britain, 6-3
Group B: Switzerland defeats Norway, 4-1
Group B: Russia defeats Italy, 10-0
Group A: Germany defeats Slovakia, 3-2
United States 6, Great Britain 3
It appeared as if Great Britain was going to provide the United States with a challenge when the game was tied at one through the first period, but the Americans seized control with three goals in the second period and never looked back.
The United States extended its lead to 6-1 before allowing two late goals in garbage time.
The victors used a balanced attack with six different players scoring, but it was Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane who spearheaded the effort with a goal and two assists. He wasn't the only Blackhawks playmaker to get in on the action, as Alex DeBrincat found the back of the net during the second-period onslaught.
Germany is the only team ahead of the United States in Group A with a 12-8 lead in points.
Switzerland 4, Norway 1
Switzerland left little doubt during its win over Norway and continued its dominance by scoring the first four goals before allowing a late tally after the game was well in hand.
Andres Ambuhl bookended the scoring for Switzerland with the only goal in the first period and the team's fourth and final goal during the third period. Leonardo Genoni was also dominant between the pipes and combined with Switzerland's stout defense to protect the lead throughout the contest.
Switzerland is yet to allow more than a single goal in any game this tournament.
It made the finals last year and is a perfect 4-0 with 12 points this year. The Americans, Russians and others will likely need to go through the Swiss if they are going to take home the world championship.
Russia 10, Italy 0
Switzerland was not the only team in Group B to dominate during Wednesday's slate.
Russia handled overmatched Italy in an absolute laugher with four goals in each of the first two periods before it eased up in the third with just two more.
Washington Capitals fans were surely familiar with the offensive power on Russia's roster, as Evgeny Kuznetsov notched two goals and two assists and Alexander Ovechkin added a goal and an assist of his own. Russia also received three assists from Nikita Gusev of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Russia and Switzerland are the only undefeated teams in Group B with 12 points and play each other Sunday.
Germany 3, Slovakia 2
Germany maintained its undefeated record and moved to 4-0 and still four points clear of the Americans in thrilling fashion to complete Wednesday's slate.
After taking a 1-0 lead with a Marc Michaelis goal early in the second period, Germany allowed two goals to Slovakia and was staring at a hole in crunch time. However, Markus Eisenschmid scored with less than two minutes remaining to tie the game before Leon Draisaitl put home the game-winner in the final minute.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for Slovakia after it protected the lead throughout the third period until Germany pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker.
Germany still hasn't lost at this tournament but will be tested with matchups against Canada and the United States in the next two contests.
Team USA picked up its third consecutive win at the 2019 World Hockey Championship with a 6-3 victory over winless Great Britain at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia.
Great Britain hung with the Americans throughout the game and even managed a 1-1 tie through one period, but the talent gap eventually manifested itself in a contest that saw the United States outshoot the Brits 65-26.
Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane led the way for Team USA with one goal and two assists, and he made history in the process.
Rob Carlin of NBC Sports Washington noted Kane became the all-time leading scorer for the United States in the World Hockey Championship with a first-period assist:
The assist occurred on the game's first goal, which didn't come until 12:17 of the first on a power play. British goalie Ben Bowns struggled to handle a Kane slapper, which allowed Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk to score on the rebound:
Team USA seemed poised to dominate, but Great Britain bounced back with only its second goal of the tournament.
Mike Hammond drove to the net and banked the puck off Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko to tie the score at 1-1:
The teams entered the first intermission with the score knotted, which took ESPN's Chris Peters by surprise:
After a shaky first period, the Americans started to take over in the second with three unanswered goals scored by Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller, New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider and Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat.
Great Britain seized a bit of the momentum back heading into the third, though, when Brett Perlini scored with just six seconds remaining in the frame to shrink the deficit to 4-2.
Perlini, who was born in Canada, is the older brother of Blackhawks forward Brendan Perlini and the son of Fred Perlini, who has a successful playing and coaching career in the U.K.
The Americans bounced back when Kane scored just one minute into the third period, and Derek Ryan made it 6-2 in favor of Team USA with a goal later in the period:
Although the game was essentially over at that point, the Brits still sent their fans home happy with a couple of big plays down the stretch.
First, Ben Davies scored with less than four minutes remaining to pull within three goals of the Americans:
Then, Bowns robbed likely 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick Jack Hughes, who essentially had a wide-open net to shoot on:
Great Britain lost, but it felt like a moral victory in many respects since the Brits lost their first three contests of the tournament by a combined score of 20-1.
It wasn't an ideal performance for the Americans, but they continued to bounce back well from a tournament-opening loss to Slovakia. Team USA has now picked up wins over France, Finland and Great Britain since that defeat.
The United States will look to make it four wins in a row when it faces Denmark on Saturday, while the Brits will next be in action when they take on Finland on Friday.
Germany and Switzerland moved atop their respective group standings during Tuesday's play at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Slovakia.
Latvia and Denmark also picked up victories on a day where most of the top title contenders like Canada, Russia and the United States were off, yielding the spotlight to other medal hopefuls.
Let's check out the complete list of scores from Day 5 of the tournament. That's followed by a recap of the latest pool-play action.
May 14 Results
Group A: Denmark 9, Great Britain 0
Group B: Latvia 3, Italy 0
Group A: Germany 4, France 1
Group B: Switzerland 4, Austria 0
Denmark 9, Great Britain 0
Morten Poulsen scored a hat trick in just 12 minutes of ice time to pace Denmark's offense in the latest blowout loss for Great Britain.
The Danish Lions scored three goals in the opening period and added five more in the second to eliminate any chance of an upset. Nicklas Jensen found the net twice, while Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller chipped in a goal and three assists for a game-high four points.
Great Britain, which earned promotion to this year's World Championship by winning the 2018 Division I Group A tournament, is on a fast track toward relegation back to Division I. It is winless through three games with one goal scored and 20 allowed.
The British squad returns to the ice Wednesday to face the U.S. Denmark is off until Thursday when it will take on Finland.
Latvia 3, Italy 0
Rihards Bukarts broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period as Latvia overcame a strong performance from Italian goalie Andreas Bernard to pick up the shutout win.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Teodors Blugers and Rihards Marenis added the other goals for Latvia, which jumped into a three-way tie at six points for third place in Group B.
Italy, like Great Britain, hasn't found much success in the early going with no goals scored and 20 allowed in three contests. Bernard made 62 saves to prevent Tuesday's game from turning into another lopsided defeat.
Things don't get any easier for the Italians on Wednesday as they face off with Russia. Latvia is back in action Thursday for a key clash against the Czech Republic.
Germany 4, France 1
Germany scored twice in a four-minute span late in the second period to break a 1-1 deadlock and held on a for a hard-fought win over France.
Matthias Plachta and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl delivered the key second-period goals for the Germans. Moritz Seider added his second goal of the tournament and Korbinian Holzer found the empty net inside the final minute to seal the win.
Starting netminder Philipp Grubauer, who plays for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, left the game midway through the second period as a "precautionary measure due to muscular problems." Niklas Treutle kept France off the scoreboard for the game's final 30 minutes to pick up the win in relief.
French captain Damien Fleury scored the only goal for his team, which remained seventh in Group A.
Germany will look to maintain first-place status Wednesday when it takes on host nation Slovakia. France's search for its first win of the event continues Thursday against Canada.
Switzerland 4, Austria 0
Switzerland controlled the pace of play throughout, more than doubling Austria's shot total (45-18), but it wasn't until Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi made it 2-0 with just under seven minutes remaining that a Swiss victory felt secure.
Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala, the Avs' Sven Andrighetto and Philipp Kurashev also lit the lamp in the first period for Switzerland, which is coming off a surprise silver medal in last year's World Championship. Reto Berra recorded the shutout in net.
Austria joins Norway and Italy as the winless teams in Group B through three games.
Switzerland must attempt to build its group lead Wednesday against Norway because it ends pool play by facing Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic in a four-day span. Austria's next chance to get in the win column comes Thursday the Swedes.
