International Hockey

Germany and Switzerland moved atop their respective group standings during Tuesday's play at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Slovakia.

Latvia and Denmark also picked up victories on a day where most of the top title contenders like Canada, Russia and the United States were off, yielding the spotlight to other medal hopefuls.

Let's check out the complete list of scores from Day 5 of the tournament. That's followed by a recap of the latest pool-play action.

             

May 14 Results

Group A: Denmark 9, Great Britain 0

Group B: Latvia 3, Italy 0

Group A: Germany 4, France 1

Group B: Switzerland 4, Austria 0

               

Denmark 9, Great Britain 0

Morten Poulsen scored a hat trick in just 12 minutes of ice time to pace Denmark's offense in the latest blowout loss for Great Britain.

The Danish Lions scored three goals in the opening period and added five more in the second to eliminate any chance of an upset. Nicklas Jensen found the net twice, while Washington Capitals forward Lars Eller chipped in a goal and three assists for a game-high four points.

Highlights: @DKIshockey beat @TeamGBicehockey 9-0 for the second shutout of the afternoon at #IIHFWorlds

More game highlights: https://t.co/LZ0SQWQwmc pic.twitter.com/Wa5IW3AKLp

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2019

Great Britain, which earned promotion to this year's World Championship by winning the 2018 Division I Group A tournament, is on a fast track toward relegation back to Division I. It is winless through three games with one goal scored and 20 allowed.

The British squad returns to the ice Wednesday to face the U.S. Denmark is off until Thursday when it will take on Finland.

              

Latvia 3, Italy 0

Rihards Bukarts broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period as Latvia overcame a strong performance from Italian goalie Andreas Bernard to pick up the shutout win.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Teodors Blugers and Rihards Marenis added the other goals for Latvia, which jumped into a three-way tie at six points for third place in Group B.

Highlights: @lhf_lv managed a strong 3-0 win over @fisg_it on Day 5 at #IIHFWorlds

More game highlights: https://t.co/LZ0SQWQwmc pic.twitter.com/3AnnokMTKN

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2019

Italy, like Great Britain, hasn't found much success in the early going with no goals scored and 20 allowed in three contests. Bernard made 62 saves to prevent Tuesday's game from turning into another lopsided defeat.

Things don't get any easier for the Italians on Wednesday as they face off with Russia. Latvia is back in action Thursday for a key clash against the Czech Republic.

               

Germany 4, France 1

Germany scored twice in a four-minute span late in the second period to break a 1-1 deadlock and held on a for a hard-fought win over France.

Matthias Plachta and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl delivered the key second-period goals for the Germans. Moritz Seider added his second goal of the tournament and Korbinian Holzer found the empty net inside the final minute to seal the win.

#ICYMI Example A of why you should not leave Leon Draisaitl uncovered #GERFRA #IIHFWorlds

Stay up to the minute with game action on the IIHF App:
 https://t.co/PDQtNtuJxc
▶️ https://t.co/yImldTg3TU pic.twitter.com/XM5oTNEmls

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2019

Starting netminder Philipp Grubauer, who plays for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, left the game midway through the second period as a "precautionary measure due to muscular problems." Niklas Treutle kept France off the scoreboard for the game's final 30 minutes to pick up the win in relief.

French captain Damien Fleury scored the only goal for his team, which remained seventh in Group A.

Germany will look to maintain first-place status Wednesday when it takes on host nation Slovakia. France's search for its first win of the event continues Thursday against Canada.

                    

Switzerland 4, Austria 0

Switzerland controlled the pace of play throughout, more than doubling Austria's shot total (45-18), but it wasn't until Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi made it 2-0 with just under seven minutes remaining that a Swiss victory felt secure.

Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala, the Avs' Sven Andrighetto and Philipp Kurashev also lit the lamp in the first period for Switzerland, which is coming off a surprise silver medal in last year's World Championship. Reto Berra recorded the shutout in net.

#SUIAUT #IHFWorlds @rjosi90 snipes the puck to the back of the net and puts @SwissIceHockey up 2-0 over @hockeyaustria

Stay up to the minute with game action with the IIHF App:
 https://t.co/PDQtNtuJxc
▶️ https://t.co/yImldTg3TU pic.twitter.com/pMeyoMoM89

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2019

Austria joins Norway and Italy as the winless teams in Group B through three games.

Switzerland must attempt to build its group lead Wednesday against Norway because it ends pool play by facing Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic in a four-day span. Austria's next chance to get in the win column comes Thursday the Swedes.

A Dylan Larkin overtime goal helped the United States earn an important 3-2 win over Finland in the IIHF hockey world championships.

The two teams were tied for the entire third period, but Larkin took it upon himself to end the game with just over a minute left in overtime:

Send it home, @Dylanlarkin39! 🇺🇸🚨 #MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/qELZc1jbzX

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 13, 2019

Johnny Gaudreau and Brady Skjei also scored for Team USA, which now has five points through three games. Finland was undefeated through its first two but suffered its first loss of the tournament in overtime, giving them seven points in three games.

While Finland entered Monday's game with a lot more momentum, the United States looked like the better team early on.

Skjei needed only 50 seconds to score the game's first goal, while Gaudreau doubled the lead with a goal from a seemingly impossible angle:

A goal so smooth is must be that Skjei butter #USAFIN #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/rAsgd8KYrK

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 13, 2019

🚨WHAT A SHOT 🚨

@johngaudreau03 is on the board at #MensWorlds. #TeamUSA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/q3s6mfB19A

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 13, 2019

However, Finland responded with two goals of its own, both assisted by Sakari Manninen. The second came on a power play by Niko Ojamaki after Colin White was called for cross-checking late in the second period.

The goalies took over from there, as Corey Schneider and Veini Vehvilainen ensured that nothing else got past them for the rest of regulation. In a tournament like this one, getting to overtime and earning at least one point is key toward advancing to the next stage.

Meanwhile, the United States wanted more, and Larkin was there to provide it with an impressive individual effort to seal the victory:

#RedWings Dylan Larkin passed up a couple of shots in OT but shot when Team USA needed it most. #OTstar https://t.co/ITnWiq3aYU

— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) May 13, 2019

Dylan Larkin is a player. Love watching that dude play

— Mike Grinnell (@MikeGrinnell_) May 13, 2019

The Detroit Red Wings forward had two assists in the tournament to this point but scored his first goal in a clutch moment for the Americans.

The United States opened the hockey championships with a disappointing 4-1 loss to the hosts Slovakia, but the squad has responded with a pair of important wins. With only seven games to earn a spot in the quarterfinals, there isn't much more time for mistakes.

After one day off, the team will be back in action Wednesday against Great Britain. Finland will try to get back on track against Denmark when the teams play Thursday.

Sunday was the third day at the Hockey World Championships in Slovakia, with a number of powerhouse countries in action, including the United States and Russia.

Below, we'll recap the day's action and look over some of the day's highlights.

             

United States def. France 7-1

The United States responded to Friday's 4-1 loss against Slovakia by thrashing France on Sunday.

Alex Debrincat (two goals), Colin White (two goals), Dylan Larkin (two assists), Alec Martinez (two assists) and Patrick Kane (one goal) led the way for the United States in the decisive win.

Anthony Rech scored the lone goal for France.

The United States currently trails Germany and Finland in the Group A standings after both teams won Sunday. Up next for the Americans is a matchup against the Fins on Monday, while France will next face Germany on Tuesday.

              

Russia def. Austria 5-0

Russia is chugging along.

The Russians moved to 2-0 and remain tied with the Czech Republic atop Group B after a 5-0 win over Austria on Sunday. Yevgeni Dadonov's two goals led the way for the team, while the Russian defense allowed just 15 shots on goal.

Up next for Russia is a crucial matchup against the Czech Republic on Monday, while Austria will be looking for its first win of the tournament against Switzerland on Tuesday.

                  

Germany def. Denmark 2-1

Germany got goals from Matthias Plachta and Frederik Tiffels in the second period and held on for dear life in the third, beating Denmark 2-1 on Sunday.

Mathias Bau's goal halfway through the third period for Denmark made things interesting, but the Germans held on to remain tied with Finland atop Group A.

Denmark—which won its opener against France—will look to get back to its winning ways against Great Britain on Tuesday.

             

Sweden def. Italy 8-0

Well, that was easy.

Sweden rolled Italy on Sunday, led by big performances by Anton Lander, who scored a hat trick, to go along with Patric Hornqvist's two goals and William Nylander's one goal and assist. The Swedes outshot the Italians 58-13, a shocking disparity.

Some credit goes to Italian goalie Marco de Filippo Roia, who may have given up eight goals but also came up with 50 saves.

Sweden, meanwhile, will be pleased with the bounce-back victory after losing their opener to the Czech Republic 5-2. Up next for Sweden is a clash with Norway on Monday, while Italy faces Latvia on Tuesday, searching for their first win and goal. The Italians have been outscored 17-0 in their two games.

       

Canada def. Great Britain 8-0

Great Britain hardly had time to get settled before it was staring at a one-goal deficit. With 2:42 off the clock in the first period, Mathieu Joseph scored for Canada, which set the tone for an 8-0 blowout.

Anthony Mantha and Kyle Turris each had two goals. Mantha added three assists to an excellent all-around offensive performance.

The score could've been even worse were it not for the performances of Great Britain goaltenders Jackson Whistle and Ben Bowns. Great Britain surrendered 56 shots, thus forcing Whistle and Bowns into constant action between the pipes.

        

Switzerland def. Latvia 3-1

Nico Hischier came up big for Switzerland, scoring the go-ahead goal with 3:39 left in the third period to help Switzerland to a 3-1 win over Latvia.

Elvis Merzlikins initially saved Vincent Praplan's effort in front of goal, but Hischier was there to tap home the rebound. Simon Moser added an insurance goal in the final minute after Latvia pulled Merzlikins.

The teams had exchanged goals in the second period. Gregory Hofmann put the Swiss ahead at the 33:44 mark before Miks Indrasis scored an equalizer for Latvia.

Hischier, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft, has been very good in his first two years with the New Jersey Devils. Devils fans will have liked seeing the 20-year-old staying composed in the final minutes of Sunday's game.

After an ugly 4-1 loss to Slovakia in their first IIHF World Championship matchup, the United States rebounded in a big way on Sunday, beating France 7-1.

Alex DeBrincat and Colin White each notched two goals, and Frank Vatrano, Patrick Kane and Chris Kreider also scored for the United States, which will play Finland on Monday in its next group-play match.

The U.S. was coming off a loss to Slovakia in which they came out flat, while the host country got a massive boost from the home crowd.

Slovakia was defeated 4-2 by Finland on Saturday to fall back into fourth place in Group A. The United States is in second place thanks to its plus-three goal differential. Germany can move ahead of the U.S. with a win or by reaching overtime Sunday against Denmark.

The U.S. was considered among the favorites heading into the 2019 World Championship. That was thanks in large part to the return of Kane, who won tournament MVP honors in 2018 despite the U.S. taking the bronze.

The States have not won a World Championship since 1960. However, they have taken home a bronze in three of the past five World Championships and are the fourth-ranked team in the world.

While every NHL player would likely prefer to be playing for the Stanley Cup this time of year, some of those who were eliminated from the race for the coveted trophy won a bronze medal for their country Sunday.

The United States defeated Canada 4-1 to win the bronze medal at the world ice hockey championship. Chris Kreider scored two goals, one of which was an empty-netter near the end, but it was Nick Bonino who put the Americans ahead for good with a power-play goal off a rebound in the third period.

Anders Lee scored the other goal for the Red, White and Blue.

It was an impressive bounce-back performance from the United States after it was blown out 6-0 against Sweden in the semifinals. Canada dropped into the bronze-medal game when it lost to Switzerland 3-2 in the other semi.

It was a disappointing showing for Canada, which won bronze in men's hockey and silver in women's hockey at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Expectations were high with a number of marquee playmakers, including two-time defending Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers star couldn't lead Canada to a medal, though, in stark contrast to Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane and his role with the Americans.

Kane tallied an assist in the bronze-medal contest and finished the tournament with a head-turning eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. The AP noted he was the first player to post 20 points in the tournament since 2008.

"It's important for the team but it's also important for USA Hockey," Kane said, per the AP (via ESPN.com). "Now we can build up off this level and try to keep being better and better."

Sweden and Switzerland will face off for the gold medal Sunday.

Slovenia's Jeglic suspended 2 games...TWO GAMES?!?!...for this act against the Swiss.#IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/CIjZ4FYyPb

— Pete Buchanan (@Buc07) May 7, 2017

Hockey isn't a sport for the faint of heart.

Slovenia forward Ziga Jeglic nearly decapitated his opponent, Switzerland forward Thomas Rufenacht, with his skate at the 2017 IIHF World Championships. Adding insult to injury, the IIHF only slapped Jeglic with a two-game suspension for the incident.

The IIHF explained its rationale for the suspension:

"Based on all facts ascertained, the Disciplinary Panel determined that while Jeglic indicated that his only intention was to enter the bench as fast as possible, he intentionally and forcefully extended his leg in the direction of Rufenacht, risking to hit him in a vulnerable and dangerous position and so endangered the health of his opponent. Jeglic would have had space to change further away or pull his leg over the board in a different way. There is a clear swinging motion with his skate directed to the neck and head area of Rufenacht."

One can only imagine how long the suspension would have been had Jeglic seriously injured Rufenacht.

The United States National Women's Hockey Team announced Wednesday that it will boycott the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship unless USA Hockey meets its wage and support demands.

USA forward Amanda Kessel tweeted the following statement regarding the decision:

US WNT will not play in 2017 World Championship due to stalled negotiations over fair wages and support from USA Hockey #BeBoldForChange pic.twitter.com/CNo6ewr1gC

— Amanda Kessel (@AmandaKessel28) March 15, 2017

The IIHF Women's World Championship is set to begin March 31 in Plymouth, Michigan.

According to espnW.com, USA captain Meghan Duggan believes USA Hockey has treated the women's team unfairly: "We are asking for a living wage and for USA Hockey to fully support its programs for women and girls and stop treating us like an afterthought. We have represented our country with dignity and deserve to be treated with fairness and respect."

The players said USA Hockey pays them "virtually nothing" aside from the $1,000 per month they receive during the six-month Olympic residency period, per espnW.com.

Team USA defenseman Monique Lamoureux-Morando further explained the rationale behind sitting out the World Championship if things don't change:

It's hard to believe that, in 2017, we still have to fight so hard for basic equitable support. But when I think about the women who paved the way for our team—and when I see girls at rinks around the country who are dedicated to pursuing big dreams and look to us to lead by example—it's well overdue for us to speak up about unfair treatment, even if it means sacrificing an opportunity to represent our country. We owe the next generation more than that. We owe it to ourselves to stand up for what is right.

The United States is tied with Canada for the most medals in IIHF World Championship history with 17. It has won gold seven of the past nine times the event has been held.

The American women have also medaled each of the five times women's hockey has been contested in the Winter Olympics, including winning gold in 1998.

Should Team USA follow through on the boycott, Canada will be the heavy favorite to take IIHF World Championship gold.

The final rosters for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey were revealed Friday, with all eight teams announcing their last additions, per ESPN.com's Scott Burnside.

Team Canada, which looks to be the favorite, added bona fide stars such as Brent Burns, Claude Giroux, Alex Pietrangelo and Joe Thornton to a loaded roster.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin was a surprising choice over Canadian international stalwarts such as Brent Seabrook. Other stars were also left off, per SportsNet's Chris Johnston:

Some tough decisions for Team Canada, as usual. PK Subban, Kris Letang and Corey Perry among those left off.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 27, 2016

Muzzin will likely reunite with Drew Doughty, his partner on defense for much of the last two seasons. Muzzin put up a decent total of 40 points this past season, but his team-leading five points in five playoff games may have earned him a roster spot.

Team USA again looks solid, but it made a few questionable final decisions with its forward group. Columbus' Brandon Dubinsky and Tampa Bay's Ryan Callahan will join the roster, but some established scorers were left off, which ESPN noted:

Penguins' Phil Kessel not among 7 added to USA World Cup roster https://t.co/qWpgXeiBWR

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) May 27, 2016

Phil Kessel is leading the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins in playoff scoring with 18 points, and he has proved to be an elite forward during his career. Team USA may have wanted to add some defensive forwards such as Callahan and Dubinsky to combat the superstars Canada will put on the ice, but the Americans should have found a spot for Kessel.

Team North America will be an interesting group with young stars such as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, but the most surprising name is Auston Matthews.

He was added Friday before even becoming an NHL player. He is expected to be picked first overall by Toronto in next month's draft. North America apparently saw enough from Matthews at the World Championships to give him a spot.

Sportsnet's Eric Engels seemed to be skeptical:

So Auston Matthews makes team NA u23, but 30-goal man Alex Galchenyuk doesn't. Yikes.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) May 27, 2016

There were no huge surprises with Team Europe. Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss did enough during his team's playoff run to earn a spot, per ESPN, but he and Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar will lead a group that looks like a long shot to win the tournament. 

The Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden released their final roster earlier in the day, per NHL.com. The biggest story from these teams was Russia leaving off Ilya Kovalchuk in favor of defenseman Slava Voynov.

Voynov was suspended for all but six games of the 2014-15 season after an alleged domestic violence incident, and he subsequently left for the KHL. Voynov's inclusion is even more questionable because the NHL may ban him from playing in the tournament, per Burnside.

Each team announced its initial 16-man roster in March. 

The tournament will begin September 17, and it should be a tremendous appetizer before the NHL season kicks off in October.

Statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com. 

President of Russia by day, hockey legend by night—in the Night Hockey League, that is.

Just two years ago, Vladimir Putin posted six goals and five assists while facing several former NHL players.

In a reprise of that success, Tuesday saw the 63-year-old take the Sochi ice by storm as he led his team to a 9-5 exhibition victory, according to the Associated Press, and his performance from start to finish garnered a rousing reception.

No. 11's entry into the game was met with thunderous applause, and he impressively capitalized on a two-on-one for the score.

He concluded the evening by victoriously hoisting an ornate trophy.

This could be you, President Obama. The hardwood is waiting.

[YouTube, h/t The Big Lead]

Hockey players are well-versed in the art of fighting, and one Canadian minor league player appears to have gone a step further by mastering the drama of it.

When his teammate dropped his gloves to trade blows with an opposing player in a Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey game, a semi-professional league in Quebec, the player picked up the air guitar and started jamming.

Check out the right corner at the one-minute, seven-second mark to see the player on the bench rocking out.

Consider it the ice hockey version of war drums.

[YouTube, h/t NBC Sports]