Men’s World Championship Recap: Dominik Kubalik continues monster tournament on Day 7

Well, that was interesting.

We nearly saw one of the biggest upsets of the World Championship as Slovenia took a 2-0 lead over Czechia early in the first period. It seemed like the Czech goaltending issues were still an issue early on, but they ended up taking over in the third period and won the game 6-2 off the heels of a five-goal final frame.

It was never really close in the other afternoon game, with Sweden taking a 7-1 win. It was 2-1 at one point, with Hungary showing some muscle. But they failed to record a single shot in the final two periods, resulting in a difficult end.

In the evening, Switzerland finally saw their shutout streak end at 205 minutes, one of the best all time. They still managed to hold on for the 4-2 win over Slovakia, giving them a perfect 4-0 record heading into the weekend. Back over in Finland, the Germans went from trailing 1-0 early to take a 6-4 win, largely due to the work of Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka.

Czechia comes back against Slovenia

Dominik Kubalik (DET) now leads all players with 10 points. His two power-play goals brought the Czechs back into the game, and then his empty netter helped seal it. He had four points total, marking one of the best individual efforts of the World Championship. Kubalilk can be streaky, but when he’s playing with confidence, the results follow.
Jan Urbas was instrumental in Slovenia taking the lead, assisting on the first goal and scoring on the power play. It was Urbas’ best performance of the tournament, with the captain – who was instrumental in leading Slovenia back to the top tournament – scoring his first top tournament points since 2017. It’s his first World Championship as captain, too, with the 34-year-old veteran being one of the best to ever suit up for the nation.
Michal Kempny continues to get better every single game, it seems. The former Washington Capitals defenseman had a goal and two assists, including setting up Kubalik for the goal that finally ended Czechia’s struggles.
It all fell apart in the end, but Lukas Gracnar was excellent once again with 35 stops. He had 23 saves in the first 40 minutes and was a big reason why Slovenia managed to hold on despite getting out-chanced. Gracnar also kept things interesting against Canada, but you can only have so much power when the competition is so one-sided.
After getting left off the scoresheet on Monday against Latvia, David Tomasek had two assists tonight and five shots – both the highest of his tournament. It’s been a mixed bag for him internationally this year, but the Sparta Praha forward couldn’t be beaten on the man advantage.

Sweden cruises to win over Hungary

What an arrival for Timothy Liljegren (TOR). The Leafs defenseman made his men’s senior team debut in style, assisting on Sweden’s third and fifth goals in the big victory. His presence made the Swedish blueline much more dynamic, and it was great getting to see him play with his good buddy Rasmus Sandin (WSH) again.
For as good as Liljegren and Sandin were, Henrik Tommernes was actually the highest-scoring defender with four assists. The veteran had two primary and two secondary helpers, including doing the work that led to Oscar Lindberg‘s opening goal.
Jonatan Berggren (DET) was promoted to the top line with Lucas Raymond (DET) and Leo Carlsson, and looked good there. He scored Sweden’s fifth goal and had a few other chances for a good showing. He showed some good chemistry with Raymond, who won top player honors after registering a goal and two assists. Keep note, Red Wings fans.
Former NHLer Jacob de la Rose had a pair of goals for the Swedes, with his 2-0 shorthanded goal at 5:13 giving the Swedes full control of the game early on. Had he not scored that, given Hungary’s goal two minutes later, could the momentum shifted a bit more?

Switzerland still perfect with win over Slovaks

Just like Liljegren earlier in the day, what a welcome it was for Jonas Siegenthaler (NJD). The stout defensive defender scored on his first shot of the tournament, with his wrister beating Samuel Hlavaj for the 1-0 goal. Nico Hischier (NJD), who also made his 2023 tournament debut, also nabbed an assist while slotting into Switzerland’s top line with Kevin Fiala (LAK) and Denis Malgin (FLA).
Nino Neiderreiter (WPG) has a goal in every game so far, which is a big reason why Switzerland has been so strong. He just knows where to be, and in today’s case, Andres Ambuhl found him on a no-look 2-on-1 to double Switzerland’s advantage in the second period.
Samuel Hlavaj was stung by a shot up high late in the first period, but was otherwise excellent for the Slovaks. He made 21 stops in the first 20 minutes while his team struggled to generate many chances on Robert Mayer at the other end. Slovakia has had a bit of a wonky tournament, but goaltending has been a strength so far.

Germany stages comeback to beat Denmark

Buffalo Sabres fans are keeping a close look at this tournament, and it’s good to see JJ Peterka (BUF) playing well. He scored Germany’s first goal and set up the second one for one of his more effective games with the men’s national team. His energy and attack was a big reason why the Germans won this game.
For once, Nikolaj Ehlers didn’t score the opening goal for the Danes. Instead, he assisted on it. He started possession in the offensive zone and was a secondary assist on Matias Lassen’s goal at 5:39. So while he didn’t score in this one, Ehlers once again was a force for the Danes and is one of the early MVP candidates for a team that still has a decent shot at making the quarterfinal.
Christian Wejse had zero goals in 20 games at the World Championship entering today. He ended up scoring his first to make it 3-3, and helped set up Mathias Bau’s goal late in the second to grab his first multi-point game at this tournament. He was all smiles, and for good reason. He then capped it off with his second late in the game, bringing the Danes within a goal late in the running. What a night.
Germany’s Marcel Noebels played his best game, setting up the 3-1 goal before scoring the game-winner at 58:56. He’s a smart playmaker with good hockey IQ, but today he also showed how he can attack the play with speed.