Continuing with its winning streak, Canada beats Finland 5:3 in IIHF Men’s Hockey World Championship prelims, after winning games against Norway, Austria, Denmark and Britain.
Brandon Hagel scored the decisive goal in the third period as Canada rallied to defeat Finland 5-3 in one of the most anticipated preliminary-round matchups of the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
Finland started the action having scored two goals in the first four minutes of the first period of the game with Jesse Puljujarvi and Valteri Puustinnen scoring two pucks.
Team Canada responded with goals by Dylan Cozens and Brandon Tanev by the end of first period.
This followed with a goal by Finland’s Jesse Puljujarvi, with Finland now leading, 2:3 for Canada.
Eventually Owen Power tied the score in the second round, 3:3.
With 8:28 remaining in the third period, Canada took their first lead of 4:3 when Pierre-Luc Dubois retrieved the puck on the forecheck and passed to captain John Tavares, who then found Hagel near the far post for a precise tap-in.
Eventually Brandon Mercer scored the last pick of the game with Canada leading 5:3.
Following their victory, the Canadians solidified their position for the quarter-finals. With 14 points now, they face two crucial upcoming games against Switzerland and host Czechia, both contending for first place in Group A.
“Switzerland’s been playing very well, obviously a very strong hockey country,” remarked Tavares. “They’ve gotten some of their players over from the NHL that have been playing very well. So it’s going to be a very tough test. For us, it’s important to regroup here, get ready for their strengths, see where we can get better, and rise to that challenge.”
Finland remains in fourth place in the group with seven points, and they have two games remaining against Denmark and Switzerland.
Jesse Puljujarvi scored two goals for Finland.