The defending gold medalists, Canada won both of their games and are at the top of Group A with six points (regulation wins are worth three points at the World Championship). Canada beat Germany and Italy, outscoring both opponents by a combined 11-4.
Over in Group B, the always tough Team Finland is at the top with a pair of wins and a seven to one goal differential so far. They're tied with Sweden, another perennial international power, who also went 2-0 over the weekend. The U.S. is right behind the two with two wins but only five points since their win Sunday against Austria came in overtime thanks to a breakaway game-winner by the University of Michigan's Luke Hughes. Teams get two points for wins in overtime and that's the only reason the Americans aren't tied for the group lead. The U.S. and Finland will meet Monday in what will be an early statement game for Group B.
The early surprise of the tournament must be Switzerland, who completed the weekend with a dominant 6-0 win over Denmark. The Swiss are tied with Canada on top of Group A and they've outscored their opponents 11-2. Swiss forward Denis Malgin is second in scoring to Czechia forward Roman Cervenka (six assists) with a pair of goals and three assists.
All five Seattle Kraken players representing their countries were in action this weekend. Goalie Chris Driedger made 11 saves Sunday to pick up a win during Canada's 6-1 victory against Italy. Morgan Geekie played in both Canadian wins. He's yet to collect a point but did end the weekend with a plus-one rating.
Canada didn't start Driedger in Friday's opening game against Germany, robbing us of an all-Kraken goalie matchup as Philipp Grubauer was in net at the other end. Grubauer and the Germans had a tough time in a 5-3 loss, but they fared better in game number two. Against Slovakia the next day, Grubauer made 28 saves as the Germans held off a furious comeback attempt to win 2-1. For his efforts, Grubauer was named player of the game for the Germans.
Kraken forward Karson Kuhlman played in both U.S. wins but didn't record any points. He'll be in action again as the Americans have a big one with Finland on Monday.
Adam Larsson and Team Sweden are tied with Finland on top of Group A and while Larsson hasn't scored yet, he's played a ton, including over 22 minutes in Sweden's big win over Czechia. Larsson will next be in action on Tuesday against Great Britain.
Slovakia ended the weekend with a 1-1 record. They feature two players who are expected to be drafted in the top 10 of the 2022 NHL Draft in July. Seattle holds the fourth overall pick and is watching forward Juraj Slafkovsky and defenseman Simon Nemec. Neither player found the back of the net yet, but Slafkovsky had a pair of assists in Slovakia's opening-day win against France while Nemec added an assist. Neither player picked up points against Grubauer and the Germans.
All U.S. and Team Canada games are being broadcast live on NHL Network while the remaining games can be seen on ESPN+.
