2024 IIHF World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 1

The first day of play at the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship saw a little of everything in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia on Friday.

The opening games saw a tail of two different stories. Switzerland was in full control over the Norwegians from the opening puck drop, ultimately winning the game 5-2 on the heels of big performances from their NHL forwards.

But in the afternoon contest, it was a much tighter affair. Slovakia controlled the puck control throughout most of the contest, but Germany – the silver medalists from 2023 – scored two power-play goals in the second period to help put them ahead. Germany ultimately won the game 6-4 to take an important three points right off the bat.

In the evening, we saw a pair of close contests. Sweden held on for the 5-2 victory over the United States, a game that saw the Swedes control for most of the night. In Prague, Czechia and Finland played to a scoreless draw in regulation, requiring extra time to decide the winner. Ondrej Kase and Roman Cervenka were the only scorers in the shootout, with Czechia ultimately winning the game 1-0.

Here’s a look at the top performers from the four games on Friday:

Sweden

#23 Lucas Raymond, RW (Detroit Red Wings): It wasn’t surprising to see the Red Wings star come out swinging. He scored the 2-0 goal to put the Swedes out to a solid lead early in the second and had a few great backchecks too as he continues to improve his two-way game. He’ll be relied on heavily by the Swedes, who don’t have a ton of high-end NHL scoring options available to them.

#14 Joel Eriksson Ek, C (Minnesota Wild): Eriksson Ek had a three-point game, including scoring the 1-0 goal on a delayed power play and the empty-netter that put a bow on things. He was great in open ice and moves well with quick hands, just like we’re used to seeing him in Minnesota. Although, American coach John Hynes – JEE’s boss with the Wild – wasn’t as pleased.

#90 Marcus Johansson, LW (Minnesota Wild): The 33-year-old forward scored and had an assist in his first World Championship appearance ever – which is hard to believe given his pro experience. He last played for the Tre Kronor at the 2014 Olympics, where he had just one point. In fact, he has just three points with the senior team during his entire career, so it was quite the night for MoJo.

#28 Rasmus Dahlin, D (Buffalo Sabres): Dahlin was consistently one of the best defenders out there today, making some nice blocks and stretch passes throughout the game. Of the big three Swedish blueliners – Dahlin, Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson – I felt like Dahlin’s effort was the most grounded with very few mistakes out there.

USA

#8 Zach Werenski, D (Columbus Blue Jackets): Werenski scored USA’s first goal on a blast of a shot and then won most of his own-zone matchups. He looked comfortable along with his old Blue Jackets buddy of Seth Jones, making up USA’s top D-pairing. Both played well, but with the goal and a few other good setup plays, I thought Werenski was a standout.

#13 Johnny Gaudreau, LW (Columbus Blue Jackets): Gaudreau had a great game, and helped set up the 3-2 goal in the third period. He showed good hands, his slick playmaking and his speed while really using every inch of the ice. The Americans will need someone to step up and Gaudreau is no stranger to performing with this team – tonight was a good start.

#12 Matt Boldy, RW (Minnesota Wild): Boldy was USA’s best forward, assisting on the first goal, helped start the play that made the second one possible and even got into it physically with his Wild teammate, Eriksson Ek. Boldy can do it all and after the breakthrough season he just had, he’s playing with momentum.

#29 Brock Nelson, C (New York Islanders): It seemed like any time Nelson had the puck, something good happened. He scored to make it 3-2 and nearly set up a third goal late in the third period. We saw him play his typical two-way game and it was good to see him battling as hard as anyone along the boards.

Czechia

#81 Dominik Kubalik, LW (Ottawa Senators): Kubalik was on something in overtime – that pace he played with was incredible. He didn’t score, but he had a few good lucks in that two-way chaos that occurred.

#1 Lukas Dostal, G (Anaheim Ducks): Dostal wasn’t busy early, especially in the first when he had just one shot against. But the Finns played significantly better in the second half and peppered him with opportunities throughout the overtime. In an excellent goalie battle, Dostal ended up being the difference-maker.

Finland

#29 Harri Sateri, G: Given his team got outshot 10-1 in the first period, Sateri had to stand on his head and looked good. It helped set the pace of play in the Finnish net as the Czechs struggled to find opportunities to crack him. If it wasn’t for Sateri’s play all night, the Czechs would have walked away with this one.

Switzerland

#55 Romain Loeffel, D: With a goal and an assist on Switzerland’s first two markers, Loeffel had one of the best games of his tournament. Loeffel also had a couple of good breakup plays in his own zone, in a game that saw him playing some of his best international hockey to date. With all eyes on Josi, Loeffel took some of the pressure away.

#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): Josi looked a step ahead of everyone out there today. His work to set up the 3-1 goal was impressive, outlasting a few Norweigan defenders despite being tired himself from a long shift before getting it out to the point.

#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): You can always count on Hischier putting in a full effort. He wasn’t credited with a point on the 5-1 goal, but it was his work along the boards to beat out two Norwegians that allowed him to get the puck out front of the net. Hischier took a high-sticking penalty in the third but brought the pace and two-way game you’re used to seeing from him.

#22 Nino Niederreiter, RW (Winnipeg Jets): Niederreiter won top player honors after his two-point game. He was best around the net, finding loose pucks and putting them on net. He led all Swiss players with four shots, including three in the third.

Norway

#41 Patrick Thoresen, LW: At 40 years old, it was so nice to see the former NHLer back wearing his nation’s colors. He made an excellent behind-the-back pass to Markus Vikingstad behind the net to make it a 1-1 game, giving Norway a bit of life after a slow start. Thoresen also tallied another assist on the second Norway goal, too. If this is the last time we see him play at the World Championship, I hope he makes it a memorable performance.

#72 Stian Solberg, D (2024 NHL Draft): It was an excellent first game for Solberg, who had a neutral +/- despite leading everyone in ice time in a one-sided effort. Solberg landed some big hits, blocked shots and showed the same two-way mobility that has earned him some top 50 consideration for the NHL Draft. I thought he was excellent.

Slovakia

#27 Marek Hrivik, C: With a goal and an assist – and another one that was waved off – Hrivik was so dangerous for the Slovaks. I thought his release looked dangerous and he was the most defensively responsible option on the top line. You could see his chemistry with long-time Slovak star Peter Cehlarik.

#20 Juraj Slafkovsky, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Slafkovsky was a catalyst on two Slovak goals, especially on the one that made it 4-3 after protecting the puck hard from the corner before Julius Hudacek knocked it in. He almost tipped in another goal with his good net-front presence. You can tell the improvements this year in Montreal have carried over because he looks like Slovakia’s best player between the pre-tournament game against the United States and now this.

#76 Martin Pospisil, C (Calgary Flames): Pospisil had an assist, but he was best at taking sightlines away from Philipp Grubauer and getting right in his grill. That caused some frustration from the German netminder, but that’s what Pospisil does best. He was also the only Slovak center to have a positive faceoff record.

Germany

#83 Leonhard Pföderl, RW: Pföderl is a veteran at this event, and he’s always a factor in their offense. But with a goal and three points, it’s already half the production he put up two years ago when he last played in this event. He’s got an excellent shot and moves so well in open space, so the Germans will continue to count on him going forward.

#42 Yasin Ehliz, LW: Ehliz had three assists, including two primary ones, to tie his output from the entirety of his last tournament appearance in 2022. It was his best statistical game of his World Championship career as he just seemed to be on it with his passes today.

#65 Marc Michaelis, C: Completing the top line, Michaelis always seemed energized after winning a faceoff and it resulted in the 4-2 goal. He also helped set up the Jonas Muller 2-0 goal on the man advantage, one of Michaelis’ specialties as he seems to love the open ice.

#30 Philipp Grubauer, G (Seattle Kraken): Grubauer allowed four goals but still made 35 saves in a game in which Slovakia dominated puck play. It’s fair to say goaltending was the difference in this game because Grubauer just looked dialed in for the most part. He even got into it physically a couple of times, as he clearly doesn’t like guys near his crease.

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