Canada came back from the dead in a thrilling 3-2 win over Czechia that had everyone on the edge of their seats at the Worlds. The Czechs jumped out fast, with Marek Alscher ripping a beauty top shelf early in the first to make it 1-0, then Dominik Kubalik squeezing one through Jet Greaves midway through the second for that 2-0 cushion. It looked like Canada was in trouble, but Macklin Celebrini flipped the script late in the second with a sweet tap-in off a Crosby feed, then tied it early in the third on another gorgeous tic-tac-toe play from the same duo. The game-winner came when Torontoman Tavares drove hard to the net off a perfect Parker Wotherspoon pass and tucked it past Pavlat for the 3-2 lead they’d hang on to. Absolute guts from the Canadians after spotting them two goals; this one felt like a statement heading into the quarters.
Charlotte Checker’s Marek Alscher opens up the scoring for the Czechs at 6:03 of the first period the assists on the goal went to former Columbus Blue Jacket Lukas Sedlak and Kometa Brno’s Jakub Flek–Marek Alscher (Florida Panthers prospect) ripped a wicked wrist shot or one-timer top shelf early in the first period, beating Canada’s Jet Greaves cleanly for a 1-0 Czechia lead. It was a beautiful, high-danger snipe that gave the Czechs momentum right away in what became a back-and-forth battle.
Shots on goal in the first period were 11-4 for the Czechs
Former Chicago Blackhawk Domink Kubalik makes it 2-0 for the Czechs at 8:18 of the second period. The assist on the goal went to Utica Comets Matyas Melovsky–Dominik Kubalik (former Red Wings forward) capitalized on a failed Canadian clearance midway through the second period, firing a hard shot that squeezed through Jet Greaves’ pads for a 2-0 Czechia lead. It was a gritty, opportunistic finish that extended the Czech momentum after Alscher’s early strike and forced Canada to dig deep for their comeback.
Macklin Celebrini gets the Canadians on the board at 14:02 of the second period. The assists on the goal went to Sidney Crosby and Dylan Cozens.–Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks star) pounced on a brilliant redirect from Sidney Crosby late in the second period, tapping the puck home from the side of the net to cut Czechia’s lead to 2-1. It was a slick, high-IQ finish off a sweet setup from the veteran, sparking Canada’s momentum shift in the comeback win.
Shots on goal in the second period were 13-5 for Canada
Macklin Celebrini ties the game up at 7:14 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Sidney Crosby and Parker Wotherspoon.–Macklin Celebrini finished a gorgeous tic-tac-toe play early in the third period, tapping home a sweet feed from Sidney Crosby in the slot to tie the game at 2-2. It was a patient, highlight-reel setup where Crosby danced with the puck before sliding it across for the easy finish, completing Celebrini’s two-goal night and fueling Canada’s full comeback.
John Tavares gives the Canadians the lead at 9:25 of the third period. The assists on the goal went to Parker Wotherspoon and Evan Bouchard.–John Tavares (Toronto Maple Leafs) finished off a slick rush play midway through the third period, driving hard to the net after a sweet feed from Parker Wotherspoon and tucking the puck past Dominik Pavlat for the 3-2 game-winner. It was a gritty veteran move on a beautiful passing sequence that capped Canada’s comeback, giving them their first lead of the night and sealing the 3-2 victory.
Dylan Cozens scores on the empty net after getting a gift of a pass from Sidney Crosby but that goal was disallowed because Cozens was a bit offsides. Oh well not that it really matters.
Shots on goal in the third period were 8-3 for Canada. The Canadians outshot the Czechs in the game 25-19
Jet Greaves stopped 17 of the 19 shots that he faced for the win for the Canadians. For the Czechs Domink Pavlat who played last season in Lliga in Finland made 22 saves on the 25 shots that he faced
Canada’s next game is the quarterfinal against the United States on Thursday, May 28 at 10:20 a.m. ET (16:20 local time in Switzerland).
