Sabres at World Juniors | Peterka notches assist in opener

The puck dropped on the IIHF World Junior Championship Friday with two Sabres prospects in action. J-J Peterka (second round, 2020) tallied an assist in Germany's loss to Finland while Ryan Johnson (first round, 2019) and Team USA dropped their opener against Russia.
Dylan Cozens (first round, 2019) and Jack Quinn (first round, 2020) open their tournament with Team Canada tonight.
Here is a rundown of the action on Friday and a look at today's schedule.

Friday's games

Germany 3 - Finland 5
Peterka skated on the top line for shorthanded Germany, which was limited to nine forwards due to a COVID-19 outbreak that has relegated some of the team's players to quarantine.
Peterka skated 23:49, second among German forwards, and connected with linemate (and third-overall pick) Tim Stutzle to earn his first point of the tournament. Check it out below.

Russia 5 - United States 3
Johnson skated 14:17 in Team USA's loss, which saw the Americans fall behind 4-1 during the second period. John Farinacci (Arizona) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim) fueled a third-period comeback attempt that fell just short.

What's on Saturday

Germany vs. Canada - 6 p.m. on NHL Network
This one should be circled for Sabres fans, with three prospects going head to head. Cozens and Quinn will open Canada's gold medal defense without team captain Kirby Dach, who sustained a tournament-ending injury during exhibition play.
Peterka and Germany will still be shorthanded as they aim to rebound from Friday's loss, so expect to see plenty of ice time for the Sabres' second-round pick. Here's a look at what Canada's lineup could look like.

USA vs. Austria - 9:30 p.m. on NHL Network
It will be the first game of the tournament for Austria, which is headlined by ninth-overall pick Marco Rossi (Minnesota). The Americans will seek to avoid falling further behind in a group that also includes Russia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.