PRAGUE, Czechia — Connor Bedard had two goals and one assist in helping lead Canada to a 5-1 win over Denmark on Sunday at the world hockey championship.
Dylan Cozens, Dawson Mercer and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Canada, which moved to 2-0 at the tournament to sit atop Group A. Jordan Binnington made 19 saves.
After scoring twice in the opening period and going into the third just up 2-1, Canada put the heat on Denmark in the final 20 minutes scoring three more times.
“I liked our third period a lot," Canada head coach André Tourigny said. "We won a lot of puck battles and we were really aggressive on the forecheck. Our second period was not as good.
"We were in the box too often and we lost too many battles, but it was good for our team to go through that because it shows that the teams here are going to work hard against us. Tonight was an opportunity to grow, and we showed that growth in the third period.”
Captain John Tavares, who joined Canada on Friday after his Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the NHL post-season last weekend, had one assist in his first outing with team.
“It was great to get my first game under my belt," he said. “I love the blend of elements we have on this team. We have a lot of skill, but we also have grit and work ethic.
"There are a lot of areas we can excel whether it is with our speed or our size, and we have a great mix of veterans and youth. We still have some areas where we can grow, but I think this is a very deep and well-rounded team.”
Christian Wejse had the lone goal for Denmark, which got 37 stops from netminder Frederik Dichow.
Canada was coming off a 4-2 win over Britain on Saturday to open the competition.
The Canadians will next face Austria on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press
