Tuesday is the first day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Day 1 games
United States 4, Norway 1 -- Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets) scored two goals in the second period of the United States' Group B win at Frolundaborg.
Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) and Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning) scored, and Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) made 22 saves for the United States. The U.S. won for the sixth time in seven games against Norway at the WJC.
"Obviously they’re a really good team," Brindley said. "You can’t underestimate any team. We came out a little flat in the first period but found a way to be physical and found our game in the third. So that was good."
Markus Stensrud (2024 NHL Draft eligible) made 40 saves for Norway, which is playing in the top division of the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Augustine made 10 saves in the first period, including several big stops when Norway was pressing in the final five minutes, to keep the game scoreless.
Snuggerud scored on a quick wrist shot from the slot to give the United States a 1-0 lead at 9:59 of the second period.
Brindley pushed it to 2-0 at 14:00 with a power-play goal on a one-timer from low in the left face-off circle after collecting a pass from Gabriel Perreault (New York Rangers) from the slot.
Brindley scored his second of the game on a snap shot from the slot to make it 3-0 at 16:33.
Brindley is playing in this tournament with a heavy heart after missing the first day of U.S. selection camp on Dec. 14 in Plymouth, Michigan, following the death of his grandfather, Marty Brindley.
"He meant everything and every game I play I think about him every time I step on the ice," Brindley told NHL Network. "He meant so much to me. I mean, he wouldn't miss practice, he wouldn't miss games and he loved everything about hockey. It's good to be here and I know he's always watching from above."
Petter Vesterheim cut it to 3-1 on a short-handed breakaway at 4:18 of the third period.
Howard increased the lead to 4-1 25 seconds later when he redirected a pass from Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers) just inside the left post from the high slot at 4:43 of the third.
The United States, which finished third at the 2023 WJC, will next play against Switzerland on Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Norway will play Czechia on Wednesday (11 a.m. ET).
Canada 5, Finland 2 -- Nate Danielson (Red Wings) and Maveric Lamoureux (Arizona Coyotes) each had a goal and an assist in Canada's Group B victory at Scandinavium.
Macklin Celebrini, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored from the slot in his tournament debut to give Canada a 3-1 lead at 6:38 of the third period. Video review confirmed the puck crossed the line under the pad of Finland goalie Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken).
Canada looks to become the first country to win three straight WJC gold medals since it won five straight from 2005-09.
"We stuck to our game, and when we do that, there are not a lot of teams that can play with us," Danielson told the IIHF website. "We get pucks to the net, use our cycle game really well. We expected them to be a little physical, but we did a good job of giving it back."
Canada goalie Mathis Rousseau (2024 NHL Draft eligible) made 24 saves.
Arttu Karki (Vegas Golden Knights) had two assists, and Kokko made 26 saves for Finland.
Danielson scored on a deflection in the slot to give Canada a 1-0 lead at 16:24 of the first period. The goal came 39 seconds after Rousseau made a diving left glove save against Lenni Hameenaho (New Jersey Devils) on a 2-on-1.
Owen Allard (2024 NHL Draft eligible) pushed it to 2-0 at 13:41 of the second period when he knocked in a shot from the slot that hit the right post and the skate of Kokko.
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (Blues) scored a power-play goal for Finland to make it 2-1 on a shot from the top of the right face-off circle at 15:56.
Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins) scored into an empty net at 17:34 of the third for a 4-1 lead.
Jere Lassila scored from the slot to pull Finland within 4-2 at 18:56 of the third.
Lamoureux scored an empty-net goal at 19:54 of the third for the 5-2 final.
Canada's checking line of Allard, Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens) and Danielson combined for two goals and eight shots. Celebrini (6-foot, 190 pounds) finished with four shots on goal in 14:32 of ice time on a line with Matthew Wood (Nashville Predators) and Brayden Yager (Pittsburgh Penguins).
Canada will play Latvia on Wednesday (1:30 p.m. ET). Finland plays Germany on Wednesday (8:30 a.m. ET).
Sweden 6, Latvia 0 -- Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) each scored twice in Sweden's Group A win at Scandinavium.
Felix Unger Sorum (Carolina Hurricanes) had a goal and an assist, Theo Lindstein (Blues) had two assists, and Hugo Havelid (2024 draft eligible) made 20 saves for Sweden, which returns nine players from the team that lost to the U.S. in the bronze-medal game at the 2023 WJC.
Sweden has never lost to Latvia in six WJC games.
Sweden scored two power-play goals in the first period after denying Latvia on a five-minute major penalty that was called 25 seconds into the game when Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg Jets) was ejected for boarding. Havelid made four saves during the penalty kill.
Anton Wahlberg (Buffalo Sabres) made it 1-0 on a deflection from the slot at 10:02 into the first period.
Bystedt extended the lead for the host country on a one-timer from the right face-off circle at 17:21 of the first.
Lekkerimaki scored a power play for a 3-0 lead at 12:45 of the second period, and Bystedt scored on a rebound at the left post during a delayed penalty call to make it 4-0 at 14:30 of the second.
Unger Sorum scored on a deflection from the slot at 8:39 of the third period for a 5-0 lead, and Lekkerimaki got his second of the game on a snap shot from the top of the right circle at 14:17 for the 6-0 final.
Deivs Rolovs (2024 draft eligible) made 29 saves for Latvia, which has six players back from the team that swept Austria in the best-of-3 relegation round last year to remain at the top level of the World Juniors.
Sweden's next game is against Germany on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET). Latvia will face Canada on Wednesday (1:30 p.m. ET).
Slovakia 6, Czechia 2 -- Servac Petrovsky (Minnesota Wild) had two goals and an assist in Slovakia's Group B victory at Frolundaborg.
"It feels unbelievable, especially against Czechia," Petrovsky told the IIHF website. "It's a great first win for us."
The last time Slovakia defeated Czechia at the tournament was 3-0 in the 2015 quarterfinals.
Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) and Maxim Strbak (Buffalo Sabres) each had a goal and an assist, Filip Mesar (Canadiens) had two assists, and Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) made 27 saves for Slovakia, which finished sixth at the 2023 WJC. Slovakia is seeking its first medal since winning bronze in 2015.
Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights) and Dominik Rymon scored, and Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) made 28 saves for Czechia.
Rymon scored from in front to give Czechia a 1-0 lead 1:01 into the first period before Slovakia scored five straight goals.
Petrovsky, a forward selected in the sixth round (No. 185) in the 2022 NHL Draft, tied it with a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right face-off circle at 2:00 of the second period. Peter Repcik scored at 18:34 of the second to give Czechia a 2-1 advantage.
In the third period, Honzek scored a power-play goal at 1:22, Boris Zabka scored a short-handed goal at 4:15, and Petrovsky scored a 4-on-4 goal at 5:22 for a 5-1 lead.
Czechia defenseman Adam Jiricek, an A-rated skater on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2024 draft, injured his right leg with 35 seconds remaining in the second. The 17-year-old couldn't continue after playing one shift to begin the third.
Czechia, which finished third at the 2023 WJC, next plays Norway on Wednesday (11 a.m. ET). Slovakia faces Switzerland on Wednesday (6 a.m. ET).
On Tap for Wednesday
Slovakia vs. Switzerland (6 a.m. ET) -- Slovakia (1-0-0-0) will look to win its second straight in Group B in Frolundaborg. Gajan, voted the top goalie of the 2023 WJC, made 27 saves, and Petrovsky had two goals and an assist in Slovakia's 6-2 win against Czechia on Tuesday. Defenseman Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks), who has 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 26 games with Windsor and Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League this season, will make his third tournament appearance for Switzerland, which plays its tournament opener on Wednesday. Switzerland finished seventh at the 2023 WJC, with overtime wins against Finland (3-2), Latvia (3-2), and Slovakia (4-3).
Finland vs. Germany (8:30 a.m. ET) -- Germany will play its first game in the tournament in Group A in Scandinavium after managing to avoid relegation the past four events. Seven players return from the 2023 team that finished eighth, among them defenseman Philip Sinn, who tied for the team lead with three points (one goal, two assists) and averaged 18:46 of ice time in five games. Finland (0-0-0-1) was outshot 29-26 in a 5-2 loss to Canada in its tournament opener on Tuesday and will look to rebound in an attempt to remain in contention for medal-round play. "We have to get ready for [Germany]," said Finland defenseman Kalle Kangas (Penguins). "We have to play simple, get shots to the net, and score. We play one game at a time, even though we are thinking about the end of the tournament. One game at a time for now."
Norway vs. Czechia (11 a.m. ET) -- Czechia (0-0-0-1), which lost to Canada in overtime at the 2023 WJC, will look to rebound after a 6-2 loss to Slovakia in preliminary-round action at Frolundaborg on Tuesday. The status of Jiricek is in doubt after the 17-year-old defenseman was injured Tuesday. Norway played admirably in a 4-1 loss against the United States on Tuesday, with Stensrud making 40 saves. "We need to be ready to go from the start against Norway," said Czechia defenseman Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators). "(The loss to Slovakia) was a good wake-up call for us." Norway (0-0-0-1) is playing in the top division of the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Latvia vs. Canada (1:30 p.m. ET) -- Canada (1-0-0-0) will look to build upon a 5-2 victory against Finland in a preliminary-round game at Scandinavium on Tuesday. Latvia (0-0-0-1), which lost 6-0 to Sweden on Tuesday, has six players back from the team that swept Austria in the best-of-3 relegation round last year to remain at the top level of the World Juniors.
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