2024 IIHF World Championship Roundup: Standouts from Day 5
Well. That was something.
Tuesday’s World Championship action in Czechia featured one of the wildest games in recent years, with Canada beating Austria 7-6. It was extremely lopsided at one point, with Canada holding a 6-1 lead in the third period. But Austria scored five goals on nine shots against Jordan Binnington late in the game to force overtime, with Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares putting the finishing touches on everything just 15 seconds into extra time.
It was hard to beat the dramatics of that fight, but the rest of the games were quite close. France beat Poland 4-2 to help close out the action in Ostrava, while Latvia won their third game of the tournament with a 2-0 win over Kazakhstan. In Prague, 2024 NHL draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard opened the scoring in an eventual 2-0 win in a tightly played affair.
Canada squandered a point, but still hold first place in Group A with eight points – tying them with Switzerland, with Finland and Czechia also in playoff spots. Sweden remains in first place in Group B with nine points, while Latvia, Slovakia and USA round out the top four.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Tuesday’s action:
Canada
#3 Olen Zellweger, D (Anaheim Ducks): The IIHF doesn’t make advanced analytics publicly available, but Zellweger has to be dominant in 5-on-5 metrics. He helped set up Bowen Byram’s 3-1 goal and made it impossible for the Austrians to generate much while he was around the net. For someone with just a quarter of a season of NHL experience, Zellweger has been one of Canada’s best defenders at this event.
#21 Kaiden Guhle, D (Montreal Canadiens): Guhle had a goal and an assist early for Canada in what was easily his best period of the tournament. He just looked so good, making smart plays while also lining a few guys up near the blueline. Guhle is having a really strong tournament for the Canadians.
#91 John Tavares, C: Tavares made a beautiful play to Guhle for the 2-0 goal in situation where he could have easily elected to shoot the puck himself. Instead, he found an open lane and capitalized on it. Tavares’ strong effort in front of the net helped clear space for Pierre-Luc Dubois to make it 6-1, too. He, like the rest of Canada, seemed to take the third period on cruise control, but he scored 15 seconds into overtime to finish the game 7-6.
#38 Brandon Hagel, LW (Tampa Bay Lightning): Hagel’s strong net-front play allowed him to pick up a pair of assists on the Guhle and Dubois goals. That’s what he does – he makes himself difficult to play against because he’s a point-producer that had to grind his way up NHL lineups. That dog-on-a-bone mentality allows him to make things happen, and I’d argue he was Canada’s best player today.
Austria
#3 Peter Schneider, RW: Schneider’s speed and hockey IQ helped get Austria back into it. He set up Baumgartner for the second goal before scoring one of his own on his next shift. He then scored anotehr goal to make it 6-5, before Marco Rossi made it 6-6. Schneider plays with so much pace, but can sometimes get lost with what to do with it once he gets to the other end. Today in the third period, he was on it.
#98 Benjamin Baumgartner, C: Baumgartner was buzzing around the ice so it was only fitting that he scored the second Austrian goal. Schneider was the one who made it happen, but Baumgartner blew past two Canadians to get into the right spot for the tap-in. I’ve liked Baumgartner’s game for a few years now because he can be shifty out there and I thought today was his best game.
#16 Dominic Zweger, RW: Zweger had an eelctric night with a goal and two assists. His shot was good, his hands were solid and he made some excellent moves at speed. Today was all about taking advantage of opportunities and he succeeded.
#23 Marco Rossi, C (Minnesota Wild): As the lone NHLer on Austria, Rossi has had a disappointing tournament. But he got the game-tying goal and assisted on another to help force overtime, helping to turn things around. That’s what they needed from him.
France
#24 Justin Addamo, C: With two goals and a good screening effort that resulted in two others, Addamo was the top player of the day today, no question. He was so integral to France’s attack, playing well in just his second game after coming in as an injury replacement. The 6-foot-6 forward is difficult to move out of the way – who knew?
#14 Stephane Da Costa, LW: The veteran forward had a goal and an assist in another great night. He was named France’s best player after causing some damage around the net and engaging well physically. He was expecially good in the third period, registering three shots.
#41 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, C: I love Bellemare in front of the net – he just gets things done. And today, he scored and dominated in the faceoff circle. He wasn’t as important as Addamo, but you love to see him putting on a full effort even in his late 30s.
Poland
#33 Thomas Fucik, G: After a rough start for John Murray, Poland switched to Fucik for the second, and he didn’t disappoint. He kept Poland in it with some big stops, but none were bigger than the diving glove save near the end of the second. Poland scored immediately after on the next play, helping to give momentum to a team that needed it badly. Fucik was riding high today, that’s for sure.
Latvia
#50 Kristers Gudlevskis, G: Gudlevskis’ first World Championship appearance since 2019 was an important one, with the former Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender stopping all 22 saves to help Latvia win its first regulation game. There weren’t a ton of high-end saves that Gudlevskis had to worry about, but he held the fort in a game where his own team found themselves chasing a bit in their own zone.
#71 Roberts Bukarts, RW: Bukarts scored the game-winning goal and had another good chance that was stopped later in the game. It seemed like whenever Latvia was trying to create something on the attack, Bukarts was part of it.
Kazakhstan
#43 Andrey Shutov, G: Shutov has been Kazakhstan’s best player again this year, with his 24 saves keeping Kazakhstan in it. The first goal was a nice play, and the second was a bad mistake by a Kazakh defenseman. After that, Shutov looked great.
Norway
#28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW (2024 NHL Draft): That shot. That incredible, blistering shot. A projected top 15 pick in 2024, MBN has one of the better shots in the tournament and he got to display it in the second to end the deadlock. Brandsegg-Nygard had a good game physically, too, roughing it up a few times as he battled hard around the net. That goal was well-deserved.
#36 Mats Zuccarello, LW (Minnesota Wild): Without Zuccarello’s fake pass that led to the 1-0 goal, Norway wouldn’t have put themselves in the spot they got into. Zuccarello missed Norway’s last game but looked like the NHLer he is today with how quick and calculated he was with the puck. They needed a big game from him today and he helped Norway get the coveted victory.
#31 Henrik Haukeland, G: Given how bad goaltending can sink a team of this level, Haukeland stood tall in a tight affair today. He wasn’t as busy as Dichow, but the saves mattered so much in a game where one bad bounce can sink a team.
Denmark
#80 Frederik Dichow, G: There wasn’t much that Dichow could have done on that 1-0 goal. It was a blast that few goalies would have been able to contain.