Canada Loses Back-To-Back Games At World Championships

How the mighty Canadians have fallen.

Canada lost in a shootout to Norway, 3-2, in the World Championships on Monday. Norway outscored Canada, 4-2, in the shootout. It was the second consecutive loss for Canada.

Canada’s Lawson Crouse scored with 12 seconds to play to force overtime after the Canadians rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Crouse is a Coyotes alternative captain.

“We’ve just gotta be better,” said Canada’s Scott Laughton, a Flyers forward.

“All of these teams are playing so well defensively, so we’ve got to find a way to get more internal scoring chances and go from there. 

“It’s a short tournament. We’ll learn from what we did wrong tonight and get ready for tomorrow; tomorrow’s a big one.”

Canada will play Czechia today at 9:20 a.m. (Philadelphia time) in Riga, Latvia.

Canada is in third place in Group B, behind Switzerland and Czechia. Canada has 3 wins, 1 overtime win, 1 loss and 1 overtime loss.

Americans’ Schedule

Team USA also plays at 9:20 a.m. today (Philadelphia time) in Tampere, Finland. The Americans play Sweden, one of the pre-tournament favorites. Team USA is 6-0 and Sweden has 5 wins and one overtime win. The USA-Sweden game will be on NHL Network.

After playing back-to-back games, Team USA did not practice Monday. A few players got treatment and a few players took a brief skate, according to the Team USA website.

The single-elimination quarterfinals begin Thursday. Team USA and Canada’s match-ups will depend on the outcome of today’s games.

Also, former Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch will be enshrined in the IIHF Hall of Fame in Tampere on Wednesday. Leetch played in three Olympics and two World Championships for Team USA.

Leetch scored 26 goals and 52 assists in 83 games against the Flyers in his career.

Leetch, who played 18 years in the NHL, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Flyers, In Case You Missed It

State of the Flyers: They need stars and defense.

Cutter Gauthier continues to dominate at World Championships.

Sergei Bobrovsky shuts out Hurricanes, 1-0.

Around The National Hockey Network:

Florida Hockey Now: It’s Sergei Season in South Florida.

Vegas Hockey Now: The secret weapon that changed the Golden Knights’ playoff fortunes.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins need centers. The Oilers need defensemen. Could this be a trade match?

Tonight’s Playoff Game:

Game 3: Golden Knights at Stars, 8, ESPN, ESPN+. Vegas leads the series, 2-0, after two overtime victories.