21-year-old prospect Luke Tuch did not dress for the United States.
An uncharacteristic opening period didn't faze the Americans who broke the ice near the midway point of the contest, before the Austrians evened the score on the power play thereafter.
A minute later, Lane Hutson orchestrated the response for our neighbors south of the border, recuperating the puck in the neutral zone in the sequence that led to Carter Mazur's go-ahead marker.
Hutson's third assist of the tournament was just the start of his artistry on Wednesday.
On fresh ice in the final stanza, the Canadiens' second-round pick from 2022 flashed his speed and skill, navigating through all three zones, before poking a one-handed backhand past Berhard Starkbaum to double the Americans' lead.
Goalie Sam Montembeault was given the day off, 48 hours after being named Player of the Game in Canada's 2-1 shootout win over Slovakia.
Justin Barron collected his first point of the World Championship, assisting on Canada's third goal of the game, while registering two shots on goal and playing a tournament-high 16:22.
FINLAND 5 - 3 FRANCE
Joel Armia and the Finns eyed a bounce back performance following a shootout loss at the hands of the Swedes on Monday.
France put up a respectable fight for most of the night, but Sakari Manninen's empty-net insurance marker all but sealed the deal for the host nation.
Armia was held pointless on Wednesday but managed two shots on goal in 15:51 of playing time.
Coming up
Denmark, ranked second in Group A with eight points, takes on Germany at 1:20 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Goalie Frederik Dichow has started all three games for the Danes thus far. It remains to be seen whether head coach Heinz Ehlers will elect to use the 22-year-old again against the Germans.
The United States and Canada are off until Saturday, while Finland returns to action on Friday at 9:20 a.m. ET against Hungary.
