5 things learned from Day 2 of World Juniors

Thursday was the second day of the 2019 World Junior Championship, which is being held in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.

Results

Russia 4, Denmark 0
Sweden 5, Slovakia 2
Canada 3, Switzerland 2
Finland 5, Kazakhstan 0

Five things we learned

Entwhistle moves up Canada lineup

Chicago Blackhawks forward prospect MacKenzie Entwhistle started on the bench as Canada's 13th forward against Switzerland, but scored a key goal and took an important face-off late in the game in a 3-2 win at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
Entwhistle gave Canada a 2-1 lead 5:55 into the second period and saw his ice time increase leading up to the late face-off in his own end while clinging to a 3-2 lead after Switzerland forward Philipp Kurashev (Chicago Blackhawks) scored his second power-play goal with 1:49 left in the third.
"I don't really think about it too much," Entwhistle said of starting as the 13th forward. "I'm playing for my country."
If Entwhislte needs a reminder about the importance of the extra forward, he doesn't have to think too long. In the same role, Tyler Steenbergen scored the winning goal for Canada with 1:40 remaining in the gold-medal game against Sweden in the 2018 WJC.
"It doesn't really matter where you play in the lineup," said Entwhistle, a third-round pick (No. 69) of the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Draft. "The Steenbergen goal; obviously Canadians remember that one. That's just a friendly reminder to just kind of stick with it."

United States to make lineup adjustments

The United States coaches are considering lineup changes for the second game in Group B against Kazakhstan at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
The U.S. won 2-1 against Slovakia in its tournament opener on Wednesday, getting third-period goals by Michael Anderson (Los Angeles Kings) and Evan Barratt (Chicago Blackhawks).
"I think there will be some changes because we're constantly looking at balance and we feel like we can probably adjust the lineup to create a little more balance," said general manager John Vanbiesbrouck.
"We need to be a team that drives off the wall and goes high-to-low in order to compete deep into this tournament. The point men are going to be shut down so you're going to have to drive off walls, and that's a little bit of a harder game to play. Once we were able to sustain the puck in the offensive zone (against Slovakia), we started to get second and third chances and that's when you score."
Vanbiesbrouck also said he was pleased with the performance of goaltender Kyle Keyser (Boston Bruins) against Slovakia. Keyser is considered the No. 1 goalie. Cayden Primeau (Montreal Canadiens), who served as backup against Slovakia, is the likely starter against Kazakhstan. Spencer Knight (2019 NHL draft eligible) is the third goalie on the roster.

Sweden proving powerful

Sweden possesses the best power play after two games of the tournament.
The Swedes have outscored the opposition 7-3 in two victories and scored four power-play goals in 11 chances (36.3 percent).
"I think what's been good about our power play is that we've simplified it," Sweden coach Tomas Monten said. "We take early shots and work hard on retrieving the puck. We chose the spots for the players on the power play based on how they play with their club teams. It has made them comfortable from the start."
The past four gold-medal teams at the WJC also owned the top power-play percentage: Canada (45 percent) in 2018, the United States (31 percent) in 2017, Finland (38 percent) in 2016, and Canada (43 percent) in 2015.

Romanov breaks out for Russia

Defenseman Alexander Romanov (Montreal Canadiens) didn't have a single point in 28 games with CSKA (Kontinental Hockey League) this season. He opened the 2019 WJC with a goal and two assists in a 4-0 win against Denmark.
"What can I say, stuff happens, and I can't change that right now," Romanov said through a translator about his lack of offense in the KHL. "Someone had to score, it might as well be me."
Asked if he was an offensive defenseman now, Romanov didn't need a translator.
"Two-way," said Romanov, chosen in the second round (No. 38) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Denmark's Rorth has Canadian ties

Denmark goaltender William Rorth received some encouraging words from a familiar face after a 14-0 loss on Wednesday. They came from Canada starting goalie Michael DiPietro, a training partner during the summer.
Rorth, an undrafted 19-year-old, has been going to Pro Goaltending camps in Oshawa, Ontario for several years, training with NHL prospects like DiPietro (Vancouver Canucks), Colton Point (Dallas Stars), and Evan Cormier (New Jersey Devils) under the tutelage of Michael Lawrence, a Canadian goaltending coach currently working in the top Swiss League.
"It's a fun experience to visit and work with a lot of those goalies," said Rorth. "I train a lot with DiPietro, two weeks every summer. When we said thanks for the game, we had a little chat, just good luck with the tournament and keep going, have a nice tournament."
Rorth did just that. After giving up three goals on four shots in relief of Mads Sogaard (2019 NHL Draft eligible) against Canada, Rorth made 16 saves on 19 shots in the loss to Russia.
Sogaard (6-foot-7, 192 pounds) made 30 saves on 41 shots and was replaced by Rorth after appearing to be injured against Canada. Denmark coach Olaf Eller said Sogaard should be ready to play against Switzerland on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
NHL.com correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report
What's next | Complete schedule

Friday

Czech Republic vs. Russia (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)
Kazakhstan vs. United States (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)