IIHF World Championship roundup: Sweden maintain perfect record as Finland are stunned
Group A
Canada 4 Norway 1
Canada defeated Norway 4-1 in the second game of the day in Prague. The defending champions have now won four from four and replaced Switzerland at the top of Group A with their latest victory, possessing a better scoring record. The Group A leaders are yet to face each other.
Defenceman Jamie Oleksiak scored two points for two assists and goalie Nico Daws also registered an assist in the win.
The Norwegians were without their biggest star, Minnesota's Mats Zuccarello, as they were in their third game of the tournament against Finland. They will need to win their remaining two matches to have any hope of progressing.
Finland 2 Austria 3
In the early Group A match in Prague, outsiders Austria stunned Finland 3-2. The favourites were leading 2-0, but forward Benjamin Baumgartner completed a last-second turnaround for the impressive Austrians.
Finland, the reigning Olympic champions, suffered their second defeat in four games at the tournament. They were also beaten by the hosts, the Czech Republic.
The Austrians, meanwhile, have stunned the fans since their opening defeat to Denmark. They lost narrowly (6-5) to Switzerland via a shorthanded goal with 51 seconds left. Then, against Canada, they secured a point when they tied the game (6-6) from 6-1 down in the third period, losing 7-6 in overtime.
Group B
USA 5 France 0
The USA defeated France 5-0 in the second game of the day in Ostrava, winning their second game and moving into third place in Group B. The French are sixth after their third defeat from four matches played.
The Americans decided the game in the first period, scoring four goals. Matt Boldy scored twice and had an assist. Alex Nedeljkovic kept a clean sheet with ten saves.
Kazakhstan 1 Sweden 3
Sweden downed Kazakhstan 3-1 in the early Group B match in Ostrava. In doing so, the Swedes won their fourth game at the tournament and are the only team that have not dropped a point yet.
The Kazakhs, meanwhile, are second last in the group with just three points. Kazakh goalkeeper Nikita Boykin was the most prominent figure in the match, making 41 saves.
The heavily favoured Swedes were the better team from the first minute to the last and the victory never seemed in doubt despite a valiant effort from Boykin.
