5 things learned from Day 4 of World Juniors

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

Results
Switzerland 4, Denmark 0
Finland 5, Slovakia 1
Canada 5, Czech Republic 1
Sweden 5, United States 4 (OT)
\[Complete World Junior Championship schedule\]

Poehling power

Ryan Poehling (Montreal Canadiens) said pride was at stake the moment the United States began the comeback that ultimately fell short in a 5-4 overtime loss to Sweden in Group B preliminary-round action at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
With the U.S. down 4-0 in the third period, Poehling scored three of its four straight goals in a span of 7:07 in the third period before Sweden defenseman Adam Boqvist (Chicago Blackhawks) got the game-winner with 1:09 remaining in overtime.
"We ended up losing, but I think this is going to help us in the long run," Poehling said. "It [stinks] now and the locker-room vibe isn't the best, but it's a good time for it to happen since it was just the preliminary round."
Michael Anderson (Los Angeles Kings), the U.S. captain, started the comeback with a power-play goal 9:34 into the third.
"The fight back was a big step for us," Anderson said. "In that situation, you are kind of just throwing the kitchen sink at them, doing anything you can to get a puck on net. We all know what it is to be successful and what it takes, and we got away from that the first half of the game. In the last 10 minutes we began playing the way we needed to."

Jack Hughes still day to day for U.S.

Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) would like nothing more than to see his younger brother, forward Jack Hughes, return to the lineup when the United States plays its final preliminary-round game against Finland on Monday (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
Jack Hughes, who has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury, is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
"We could have used [Jack on Saturday] for sure," Quinn Hughes said. "The game against Sweden is his type of game. I don't mean to get ahead of myself, but he probably could have dominated that game, and no one is more upset about it than him.
"As far as the injury goes, I think he's getting better every day so I'm hoping he'll be back really soon."

Sweden survives

Sweden coach Tomas Monten said he took more positives than negatives from the overtime win against the United States.
"We have a young team and only a couple returning players from last year," Monten said. "We gave up too many pucks, had too many long shifts and that's what hurt us in the end. But we came back and didn't sit it out and feel pitiful. We said from Day One that whatever we want, we have to work for it. If we don't work we're not going to get anything."
The win gave Sweden 47 straight victories in preliminary-round play since a 3-2 overtime loss to the United States on Dec. 31, 2006. Sweden has outscored the opposition 246-84 during the streak, which includes 41 wins in regulation, two in overtime and four in the shootout.
"Forty-seven wins is pretty crazy," forward Rickard Hugg said. "To think that last loss was in 2006. ... It feels crazy, but of course it feels great to keep it going."

Lafreniere, Veleno rebound for Canada

Canada coach Tim Hunter singled out his youngest players, Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings) and Alexis Lafreniere (2020 NHL Draft eligible), on Friday. The response was quick.
Lafreniere, 17, scored and Veleno, 18, had one assist despite rotating between the fourth line and 13th forward in a 5-1 win against the Czech Republic on Saturday.
"For the first time in their career, Joe and [Lafreniere] faced a little adversity, they missed some shifts," Hunter said. "They haven't had that happen to them before. So, I get that, poor guys are a little despondent at times and you have to communicate to them about the process."
Lafreniere, the first 17-year-old since Connor McDavid and the ninth-youngest player ever for Canada at the WJC, credited Hunter for being clear in what needed to improve.
"I have to improve my defensive game without the puck," Lafreniere said. "I have to get better and that's what I tried to do."
The fourth line with MacKenzie Entwhistle (Chicago Blackhawks) and Jack Studnicka (Boston Bruins) had two goals and two assists against the Czech Republic.

Kurashev takes another step

Switzerland center Philipp Kurashev (Chicago Blackhawks) has been texting with former Swiss Junior A League teammate Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils during the WJC, but it's the advice he's been getting from everyone else that's paying off.
Kurashev and Hischier talk as friends; he has enough people telling him to shoot more.
"I get a lot of people tell me that and I know I have a good shot and I use it more now and it's working," Kurashev said after scoring three goals in a 4-0 win against Denmark on Saturday.
Kurashev, selected in the fourth round (No. 120) of the 2018 NHL Draft, also scored two power-play goals in a 3-2 loss to Canada on Thursday, and leads the WJC with five goals on 14 shots.
"He has to shoot way more, he's super dangerous, a heck] of a shot," Switzerland coach Christian Wohlwend said. "He has everything to play in the NHL: he's physical, skilled, but his intensity level has to get a little bit bigger and then I think he can be the next Swiss guy playing in the NHL."
*NHL.com correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report*
What's next |
[Complete schedule
Sunday
Switzerland vs. Russia (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)
Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia (10:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN)