15
15:48
Minor penalty (2 minutes) for Milan Lucic (Canada)
Lucic grabs Jánošík behind the Slovak goal and the referee’s arm immediately goes up. Powerplay chance for the Europeans.
14
15:47
Fantilli serves Carcone with a fine pass past the Slovakian’s body, but Carcone only hits Hlavaj’s shoulder! Scarce thing.
13.
15:46
Because Crouse is marching on the right side and no Canadian is following, the attacker tries a short hand with the backhand. Category dream goal when the backhand shot from the baseline flies over Hlavaj’s shoulder. However, the goalie closes the short corner.
12.
15:44
Hudáček must equalize! The maple leaves carelessly gambled away the hard rubber on the offensive and Hudáček hit the target on the blue line and went through freely. However, because he waits a long time and wants to pass Montembeault on the outside, Toffoli disrupts him decisively. The captain throws on the turbo and prevents the equalizer at the last second!
11.
15:41
After the Canadian goal, the Slovaks actually gave the perfect answer. Only the coronation by scoring is still missing.
10
15:38
The next opportunity to equalize! Hudáček has a clear path on the right and swings in for a slap shot. Montembeault’s turn with the blocker in the far corner!
9.
15:37
Sukel misses the perfect answer! The Slovak lurks in the high slot and that’s where the disc slides out of the slot. Sukel hammered the puck at goal with all his might, but Montembeault made himself big and then parried with his pad raised!
8th.
15:33
Goal for Canada, 0-1 by Jake Neighbors
Canada takes the lead! Is that bitter for the Slovaks! The double penalty has just been served and the power play is over when the Europeans lose the game equipment on the left of the rink. McBain has an eye for Neighbors in the middle, who is driving towards Hlavaj there completely orphaned. A cheeky, flat conclusion through the schooners and neighbors turns to cheering!
8th.
15:33
Ouliar is out of the box again – the greatest danger is over!
7.
15:31
Glass misses in five-on-three! Toffoli serves the Nashville Predators forward in the slot in an exemplary manner. Glass lobs the puck onto goal in one motion, but he can’t get past Hlavaj at close range!
6.
15:29
Minor penalty (2 minutes) for Richard Pánik (Slovakia)
Top chance for the Canadians! Pánik breaks Fantilli’s stick while attempting to shoot and joins Ouliar.
5.
15:29
The first worth seeing combination of the favorite! Joseph carries the puck on offense on the left and then drops it. Quinn comes to the glass and has his head up. Toffoli rushes up on the right side, who skates the pass on goal. Hlavaj snaps with his catch hand.
5.
15:26
Minor penalty (2 minutes) for Oliver Okuliar (Slovakia)
Power play over! Okuliar hooks onto the rail and makes his way to the penalty box.
4.
15:24
Minor penalty (2 minutes) for Jacob Middleton (Canada)
Middleton gets his first penalty of the tournament when he mangles his opponent and knocks him to the ground. This means that the Europeans are outnumbered at the start early on.
3.
15:24
First harmless finish: Blais tries from the baseline – he scored against the Latvians in the opening game – but Hlavaj is in the short corner and is simply shot.
2.
15:22
Slovakia comes in neatly. Lots of disc possession at the beginning. But the first conclusion is a long time coming.
1.
15:20
It starts on time! The game in Riga is on.
15:18
Both teams are already waiting in the player tunnel – the countdown is on! Let’s talk about the goalies: Samuel Hlavaj starts in the box for the Slovaks. His counterpart is Samuel Montembeault, who was allowed to celebrate a shutout in the first game against Latvia.
15:15
Canada has not yet accepted any successors on board – probably a question of time, some places have remained free. But the maple leaves are the top scorer of the tournament at this point, and he also plays on the blue line. Defender MacKenzie Weegar has a whopping six points in two games!
15:10
In addition, Slovakia can report an important entry! Defenseman Šimon Nemec joins head coach Craig Ramsay’s roster from the AHL. Nemec was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils last NHL draft. Right behind his compatriot Juraj Slafkovský, who missed the World Cup due to injury. The two youngsters are two promises for the future and give Slovakian ice hockey fans hope for many great moments. Nemec will now wear the national jersey at this World Cup as well.
15:05
Because the regeneration factor plays into the hands of the Europeans. Canada only had to play yesterday and therefore has the game against Slovenia in its legs. The Slovaks had their last match last Saturday and had no game yesterday, so they could appear as a fresher team.
15:00
The maple leaves are still the clear favorites in the race. Canada have been in decent shape in the first two games. A 6-0 win against Latvia was followed by a 5-2 draw against Slovenia yesterday. Of course, these have not been the really big endurance tests so far. The duels with the strong playing Switzerland and the Czechs will provide more information about the status of the “Maple Leafs”. Still, Slovakia is a tougher number and could well prove to be a stumbling block.
14:56
In Slovakia’s opening game, there was a thankfully narrow defeat against the Czech Republic (2:3). The Europeans then took an important step towards the quarter-finals with a narrow 2-1 win against the hosts from Latvia. The first points are on the account, and now we want to build on that. The small ice hockey nation has already shown against the Czech Republic that it can keep up with the big names. Why shouldn’t that be the case against the record world champion today?
14:50
Both teams plan firmly with the ticket for the quarterfinals. With Canada being one of the favorites, that comes as no surprise. As always, the Maple Leaves arrive with one goal, and that is gold. And the Slovaks have also steadily approached the top of the world in recent years – so the path should at least lead to the last eight.
14:45
Welcome back to the Ice Hockey World Championship! In Group B, Slovakia meets Canada this Monday afternoon. At 3:20 p.m. the puck falls!