World Junior Hockey Championships 2015 Results: Daily Scores, Updated Schedule
The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship kicked off on Friday night in Canada, with the best countries in the world dueling for supremacy in the sport.
In addition to deciding the best junior team in the world, the tournament is also a proving ground for some of the game's budding superstars. Plenty of famous names made waves in the World Juniors before breaking out in the NHL.
Although the NHL marches on over the next few weeks, the eyes of the hockey world are locked on Montreal and Quebec.
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Results
| Preliminary Round | ||||
| 1 | Fri., Dec. 26 | Russia | Denmark | 3-2 |
| 2 | Fri., Dec. 26 | United States | Finland | 2-1 |
| 3 | Fri., Dec. 26 | Czech Republic | Sweden | 2-5 |
| 4 | Fri., Dec. 26 | Slovakia | Canada | 0-8 |
| 5 | Sat., Dec. 27 | Sweden | Denmark | 5-1 |
| 6 | Sat., Dec. 27 | Finland | Slovakia | 1-2 |
| 7 | Sat., Dec. 27 | Switzerland | Czech Republic | 5-2 |
| 8 | Sat., Dec. 27 | Canada | Germany | 4-0 |
| 9 | Sun., Dec. 28 | Russia | Switzerland | 7-0 |
| 10 | Sun., Dec. 28 | Germany | USA | 0-6 |
| 11 | Mon., Dec. 29 | Denmark | Czech Republic | 3-4 |
| 12 | Mon., Dec. 29 | Slovakia | United States | 0-3 |
| 13 | Mon., Dec. 29 | Russia | Sweden | 2-3 |
| 14 | Mon., Dec. 29 | Canada | Finland | 4-1 |
| 15 | Tue., Dec. 30 | Switzerland | Denmark | 3-4 |
| 16 | Tue., Dec. 30 | Germany | Slovakia | 2-5 |
| 17 | Wed., Dec. 31 | Sweden | Switzerland | 5-1 |
| 18 | Wed., Dec. 31 | United States | Canada | 3-5 |
| 19 | Wed., Dec. 31 | Czech Republic | Russia | 4-1 |
| 20 | Wed., Dec. 31 | Finland | Germany | 2-0 |
| Quarterfinals | ||||
| 21 | Fri, Jan. 2 | Finland | Sweden | 1-2 |
| 22 | Fri, Jan. 2 | Germany | Switzerland | 2-5 |
| 23 | Fri, Jan. 2 | Russia | United States | 3-2 |
| 24 | Fri, Jan. 2 | Slovakia | Czech Republic | 3-0 |
| 25 | Fri, Jan. 2 | Denmark | Canada | 0-8 |
| Relegation | ||||
| 26 | Sat, Jan. 3 | Switzerland | Germany | 5-2 |
| Semifinals | ||||
| 27 | Sun, Jan. 4 | Russia | Sweden | 4-1 |
| 28 | Sun, Jan. 4 | Slovakia | Canada | 1-5 |
| Medal Round | ||||
| Bronze Medal | Mon., Jan. 5 | Slovakia | Sweden | 4-2 |
| Gold Medal | Mon., Jan. 5 | Russia | Canada | 4-5 |
Recap
Jan. 5
Canada nearly threw away a four-goal lead before holding off Russia for a 5-4 victory, winning gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Hockey Canada captured of a vine of the moment the clock hit zeroes in the Air Canada Centre:
TSN Hockey provided a video of the Canadian team getting serenaded by its national anthem:
Anthony Duclair and Nick Paul got the hosts on the board in the first period, taking a 2-0 lead before Dmitri Yudin halved the deficit.
Canada then exploded for three goals courtesy of Connor McDavid, Max Domi and Sam Reinhart to open the second period. From there, it looked like the Canadians would coast to the finish. They hadn't lost once throughout the tournament and had a raucous home crowd behind them.
Then, Russia stormed back with three goals of their own. Nikolai Goldobin made it 5-4 with a little under two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the period.
Despite having a ton of momentum going into the third and final period, Russia was unable to find the breakthrough. Canada goaltender Zach Fucale did extremely well to hold the Russians at bay, making 26 saves on the night.
"This is amazing," said Canadian captain Curtis Lazar, per the IIHF's website. "I really wanted to help Canada get back on top, and everyone did their part. I was just along for the ride. We had the momentum; we let it slip away a little bit, but we hung in there."
In the bronze-medal game, Slovakia beat Sweden 4-2. Goaltender Denis Godla earned MVP honors for the tournament, per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star:
Jan. 4
Russia and Canada will square off for the World Junior Hockey Championships gold medal on Monday after both took care of business in dominant fashion.
After sweating out a tense 3-2 victory over the USA to get to the semifinals, it certainly appeared that Russia belonged when they defeated Sweden 4-1. That was a bit of revenge for when the Swedes won the prior meeting 3-2 in preliminary play.
Alexander Sherov's two goals helped the Russians to a massive win that puts them in position for a second gold medal in five years.
The last time Russia won the gold was in 2011 against Canada, so the hosts will be eager to please the home crowd. After not medaling in the previous two outings, this team looks fully capable of taking Canada to the top.
Winnipeg Jets 2013 second-round draft pick Nic Petan was the star, as he notched a hat trick to spearhead the Canadian charge in a 5-1 trouncing of Slovakia. The first and final goals came on the power play, as Canada asserted its superiority on special teams.
Pete Blackburn of Sports Illustrated highlighted one of the better moments of the tournament after Petan completed the three-score feat:
It would be fitting if Canada could overcome their recent struggles in this event to win it all at home. However, Russia has plenty of momentum after grinding out a tough win and carrying it over to Sunday.
The two countries sport some of the best, steadiest streamline of NHL-caliber talent in the world. It should be a fascinating display on Monday as Russia tries to play spoiler, while Slovakia and Sweden will battle for the bronze as consolation.
Jan. 3
In a repeat of Friday night's Relegation Round game, Switzerland knocked off Germany by the same 5-2 final score. The victory serves two purposes for the Swiss team, sending them out of the World Junior Hockey Championships on a high note and securing a spot in next year's event.
The loss means that Germany will be relegated to Division I Group A and leaves it with a bitter taste after losing all six of its games at the World Junior Championships. The Germans did start the game well with a power play goal from Parker Tuomie to take a 1-0 lead.
Switzerland responded with two goals in 67 seconds to take a 2-1 lead after the first period. Pius Suter made it 3-1 with less than nine minutes to play in the second period. Germany tried to creep back in with another power play goal, this time by Andreas Eder.
Unfortunately, that would be as close as things would get. as Suter would provide insurance and Timo Meier had the dagger, via Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo Sports:
Meier was also named one of Switzerland's top players in the event by all of the coaches, per the 2015 World Junior Championships official Twitter:
There would have been a third game if Germany had won, but as a result of Switzerland's victory, both teams are done. Sunday will resume the championship portion of the event with the two semifinal games.
Canada and Sweden are the heavy favorites to meet in the finals, as they are the only two remaining undefeated teams and own the top two goal differentials in the tournament.
Jan. 2
The quarterfinals of the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championships featured five games, highlighted by Canada's 8-0 destruction of Denmark in the main event. However, it was the United States' 3-2 loss against Russia that drew most of the headlines.
It was the second consecutive year that Russia has knocked the United States out of the event, though this one might sting more because of all the opportunities missed by America.
Russian goalie Igor Shestyorkin was the difference in the game, stopping 39 shots amidst a relentless onslaught by the Americans. He was masterful in the third period, despite allowing a goal to Zach Werenski that pulled Team USA within one with around 12 minutes to play.
Chris Peters of CBSSports.com also noted that penalties doomed Team USA, which was otherwise impressive when all five players were on the ice:
"Within the first two minutes of the game, Team USA was already killing a five-on-three power play. Russia, as they so often do, made the U.S. pay for it with a power-play goal by St. Louis Blues prospect Ivan Barbashev just 2:31 into the game to capitalize on the two-man advantage.
"
USA coach Mark Osiecki told Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun that his players weren't able to take away any lessons from the loss to Canada three days ago:
"It’s frustrating. The standard that was set we didn’t know. Coming away from that game on New Year’s Eve (against Canada), we all talked about as staff that it was probably going to be different, but we didn’t know how it was going to be and what sort of standard it would be.
We saw a drastic 180. Just that, in general, was difficult for the players.
"
Not surprisingly, Canada was the most impressive team on Friday. The host team embarrassed a Denmark squad that was coming off a its only win against Switzerland on December 30.
According to the event's official Twitter account, 11 Canadian players had points before the game was even over:
Canada and Sweden are the only two undefeated teams left standing heading into the semifinals. Sweden got to 4-0 with a decisive 6-3 victory over Finland. After a day off so Germany and Switzerland can play in the Relegation Game, the Canadians will take on Slovakia and Russia will battle Sweden on Sunday.
It's clear that anything other than a Canada-Sweden final will be a disappointment, though underestimating the Russians would be a mistake. Canada and Sweden are tied with 12 points each, but Canada's plus-17 goal differential is five better than the No. 2 team in the championships.
Dec. 31
There were four games on the schedule for New Year’s Eve, but none drew the mainstream attention that the matchup between the United States and Canada did Wednesday. The rivalry between the nations in hockey is the best in the sport.
Team USA played well, but Buffalo Sabres first-round pick Sam Reinhart helped lead Team Canada to a thrilling 5-3 victory, scoring a goal and adding two assists. The Americans made a third-period surge on Dylan Larkin’s two goals, but the Canadians scored three of their own in the final stanza to secure the win and clinch first in their group.
"CAN 5, USA 3: Domi, Reinhart lead Canada over USA in New Year's classic http://t.co/Ora9ThZitR (via http://t.co/WZTDj8gNlx)
— Munroe Peterson (@Munroepeterson) December 31, 2014"
In the other games, the Czech Republic dominated Team Russia, 4-1, to pull even in the Group B standings. In the other Group B matchup, the first-place Team Sweden dismantled Switzerland, 5-1, and proved why Sweden is a favorite to win it all.
Dec. 30, 2014
A thrilling battle between Switzerland and Denmark went to a shootout, where goalie Georg Sorensen, who kept the Danes close all game, would prove to be the hero.
Sorenson, whose team was outshot 45-23 in regulation and overtime, allowed just one goal in the shootout, as he collected the final save to earn the Danes their first win in 16 tries at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
TSN Hockey provided a look at the memorable moment:
With history out of the way, Denmark now needs wins from the Czech Republic and Sweden (in regulation) to advance to the quarterfinals.
"I'll be cheering for Sweden, for sure," said Nikolaj Ehlers, Denmark's other star of the night, via WorldJunior2015.com's Andrew Podnieks.
Dec. 29, 2014
There were no shortages of goals for fans on Monday.
Canada's 4-1 win over Slovakia highlighted a day with four games and 20 total goals. Sam Reinhart led Canada with two goals, while Zach Fucale made 27 saves in the victory.
That sets up a winner-take-all game on Wednesday with the United States, as first place in Group A on the line. The Canadiens have now won their three games by a combined score of 16-1, while the United States and Sweden also remain undefeated.
The American cruised past Slovakia, 3-0, led by Thatcher Demko's 17-save shutout and goals from Sonny Milano, Dylan Larkin and John Hayden.
The other major result on the day was Sweden's 3-2 win over Russia, putting them atop Group B after Axel Holmstrom scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period. William Nylander added two assists for the team, though he's not convinced the Swedes have peaked at the tournament just yet.
"I think we've got a little ways to go," he told The Canadian Press, via TSN. "We're still not at our top level yet. We'll get there as the playoff round starts."
That's a scary thought for the rest of the field.
Dec. 28, 2014
Two blowouts by a combined score of 13-0 detracted any potential suspense factor from Sunday's action.
In the opening game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Russia treated the crowd to an outstanding exhibition of offensive firepower in a 7-0 dismantling of Switzerland.
Precise puck movement and a general mismatch in raw talent gave Russia the big edge in this one. Check out this phenomenal display of teamwork that culminated in Sergei Tolchinski's goal, giving the Russians a 4-0 advantage, courtesy of TSN Hockey:
A tougher test for Russia is on the horizon, as Sweden is next on the schedule during Monday's preliminary action. Sweden are fresh off a 5-1 triumph over Denmark, and will have the opportunity to make a statement in their next matchup.
As for the cap-off contest from Sunday, the USA took to the Bell Centre ice in Montreal and shut out Germany 6-0.
Dylan Larkin led the charge for the Americans by scoring two goals and assisting on another (h/t WorldJunior2015.com's Lucas Aykroyd). CBS Sports' Chris Peters weighed in on a second straight strong outing from Larkin, a Detroit Red Wings draft pick:
The U.S. had a massive advantage in shots by a tally of 53-14, making life hard on German goaltender Ilja Sharipov. Those in attendance lauded Sharipov's efforts:
This defeat dropped Germany to 0-2 after their opening loss to Canada, and they're still looking to get on the scoreboard.
Slovakia is next up for the exceptional USA team on Monday, and Slovakia will face off against Germany on Tuesday.
Dec. 27, 2014
There were no surprises in the early game. Sweden overwhelmed Denmark behind a good team defensive performance with goalie Linus Soderstrom recording 19 saves. He also got a wealth of support from his offense.
Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick William Nylander found the back of the net, as did Lucas Wallmark, Jacob de la Rose, Anton Blidh and Sebastian Aho. Sweden improved to 2-0 in Group B play after beating the Czech Republic 5-2 on Friday.
Check out Nylander's goal courtesy of this vine from Ryan Kinsey:
Sweden will play Russia on Monday.
Denmark falls to 1-1, and it will face the Czech Republic next.
In Group A Slovakia shocked defending champion Finland 2-1. Just one day after allowing five goals in a 8-0 loss to Canada, Denis Godla made 37 stops to push Slovakia to the win. Finland is now 0-2 in the tournament after having been defeated by the United States on Friday.
Behind two goals from Kevin Fiala, Switzerland handed the Czech Republic their second loss in as many games in the tournament. Switzerland took an early lead and never looked back en route to the 5-2 win.
Here are the highlights:
"Czech Republic vs Switzerland 2015 IIHF World Junior Day 2 (27.12.2014) Highlights HD: http://t.co/XKoOhin0aJ на @YouTube
— All Winter Sports (@sports_winter) December 28, 2014"
In the final game of the evening, Canada made easy work of Germany. Connor McDavid had three points and Nic Petan dished three assists as the Canadians continue to look like the tournament's top team.
They have now outscored opponents 12-0 in two games and they have a chance to send defending champion Finland to an 0-3 start on Monday. Germany is now 0-1 and it will face the United States on Sunday.
Dec. 26, 2014
Canada couldn't have envisioned a better start to the World Championships, beating Slovakia 8-0. Slovakia could arguably count itself lucky that it only lost by eight goals after the Canadians scored seven in the first two periods.
Robby Fabbri was the star of the night, scoring two goals and assisting on two more. His goal four minutes and 52 seconds into the game got Canada on its way. Then the floodgates opened up, and the Canadians were 3-0 up less than halfway through the first, per TSN:
Staring at such a massive deficit so early into the game, Slovakia never had a chance. TSN's James Mirtle sees the defeat as a larger sign of the country's malaise on the ice:
The first two games on Friday needed extra hockey to decide a winner. Russia canceled out a 2-0 deficit to Denmark before winning 3-2 in a shootout, and then the United States downed Finland 2-1 in the same manner.
The Danes went ahead 2-0 in the first period following goals from Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Nikolai Goldobin halved the difference in the second period with a shot that deflected in off the skate of Denmark goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Maxim Mamin scored the tying goal off a deflection in the third period, and Sergei Tolchinski's goal was the difference in the shootout.
"We came out with a different game in the second," Tolchinski said after the game, per the IIHF official website. "We wanted to shoot the puck more, play at a faster pace."
The U.S. needed similar heroics in the shootout, with Chase de Leo's goal the difference between the Americans and the Finns. Alex Tuch and Mikko Rantanen were responsible for the two goals in the first period.
After that, United States goaltender Thatcher Demko and Finland goalie Ville Husso exchanged save after save, beating back the opposition and forcing the shootout. Their performances were among the highlights of the day's action.
In Friday's third game, Sweden rolled to a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic. The Swedes grabbed 2-0 lead in the first period, with the Czechs tying it at 2-2 in the second before William Nylander scored the go-ahead goal with a little over three minutes left in the period.
Adrian Kempe and Jacob de la Rose scored two insurance goals in the third period to take the Czechs out of the game.
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