'WORLDS' RESET: Atkinson still hot, helping U.S. stay atop standings

Six games into the 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship, nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark for Cam Atkinson or the United States.
Led by Atkinson and his linemate, U.S. captain Patrick Kane, the United States has yet to taste defeat in Group B play - which is being held at Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, Denmark.
After six games, Atkinson was tied for the tournament lead in goals with six and also had 10 points, which was tied for fifth in overall scoring with the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid. Kane, who's won the Stanley Cup three times with Chicago Blackhawks, led all scorers with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists).

Atkinson and Kane are now the wingers on the top line for the U.S., after starting the tournament on different lines. Atkinson is on the left side, opposite Kane, and they've got a new center in Nick Bonino - who joined the team this past weekend, after the Nashville Predators lost to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 of a second-round series in the Western Conference.
Atkinson and Kane dominated for the U.S. in its past two games, a 13-1 victory against Korea on Friday and a 9-3 win against Norway on Sunday.
Atkinson scored two goals and Kane had two goals, three assists and five points against Korea. Each had three points against Norway, with Kane scoring two goals and assisting on goal by Atkinson - who assisted on Kane's two goals.
Team USA, which has outscored its opponents by a combined 37-10 margin, will play its final game of the preliminary round Tuesday against Finland, which trails the U.S. by three points (16-13) and can force a tie atop Group B with a regulation win. The U.S. will win the group outright with any kind of point gained.
Finland split its two weekend games, defeating Canada 5-1 on Saturday and losing 3-2 against Germany in overtime Sunday. Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara, playing left point on the second defense pairing, had an assist against Canada.
Host Denmark, which has Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on the top line, also had a big weekend in Group B. The Danes defeated Norway 3-0 on Friday and Korea 3-1 on Saturday, with Bjorkstrand contributing a primary assist in each.
LEARN MORE: IIHF Worlds schedule, stats and rosters
Here's a look at how the Blue Jackets' players and prospects have fared thus far:
UNITED STATES
-- Atkinson has rolled right into the world championship with the same effectiveness he had in the final two months of the season. After tallying 33 points on 18 goals and 15 assists in the final 33 games, he had four points (two goals, two assists) in the first-round against the Washington Capitals and now has 10 more points in six games for the U.S.
Atkinson credited several things for turning his season around after a frustrating start, including a correction to his shot. Shooting off the wrong foot, which robbed him of balance, Atkinson lacked his usual velocity and accuracy. After returning from a fractured bone in his right foot, which allowed him to correct the flaw off ice, his shot was harder and more accurate.

-- Atkinson isn't the only Blue Jackets forward for the U.S. Sonny Milano is in Denmark, too, but he's been bumped from the playing rotation by the addition of Bonino. Milano has played in four of the six games.
CANADA
-- Heading into Canada's game against Latvia on Monday, center Pierre-Luc Dubois had five points in five games on two goals and three assists. He also had a plus-2 plus/minus rating in Canada's first five games, playing left wing on a line centered by the Vancouver Canucks' Bo Horvat. Dubois is the only Blue Jackets rookie to ever play all 82 games in a season, and also played all six games against the Capitals. This is, by far, the most hockey he's ever played in one season, but he's handling it fine.
-- Ryan Murray has logged action in the first five games and is playing left point on the third defense pairing. Murray, a restricted free agent, had one assist and a plus-4 plus/minus rating prior to Canada's game Monday against Latvia, playing with the New York Islanders' defenseman Ryan Pulock.
FINLAND
-- Nutivaara has also impressed. The 24-year old defenseman, who signed a contract extension this season with the Blue Jackets, has been a point-a-game player for Finland. Through six games, he has two goals, four assists and six points to go with a plus-6 plus/minus rating. His two goals were scored on special teams, one on a power play and another one short-handed.
LATVIA
-- One of the best storylines for the Blue Jackets at this tournament is between the pipes for Latvia, where Columbus has two prospects among the three Latvian goalies in Denmark. Elvis Merzlikins, 24, is handling the starter's role, while Matiss Kivlenieks, 21, is the third goalie.
Merzlikins, who played this season for HC Lugano in the Swiss league, headed into a big game against Canada on Monday with a sterling 1.49 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, allowing only six goals on 92 shots. He also flashed some of the fire that reminds Latvian coach Bob Hartley of Patrick Roy. Following a 3-2 overtime loss to the U.S. last week, Merzlikin declined postgame media requests and reportedly threw a few things around the locker room in disgust.
Merzlikins was also spotted giving a couple first-period whacks to Atkinson, who later scored the game-winning goal in OT. Merzlikins then led the way to a Latvian victory against Germany in the next game and saluted Latvian fans afterward for their support in the tournament.
RUSSIA
-- Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, 22, has quietly had a strong tournament. He only has one assist in six games but has a plus-6 plus/minus rating and is playing left point on the top defense pairing.
Russia's second pairing is comprised of former NHL defenseman Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Zaitsev of the Toronto Maple Leafs, so it speaks volumes about Gavrikov's defensive abilities that he's on the first pairing ahead of them.
FRANCE
-- Center Alexandre Texier has struggled a bit. His only three points were in a 5-2 victory against Austria on Friday and he's got a minus-4 plus/minus rating to go with eight penalty minutes.
That said, Texier is only 18 and coming off his first season with KalPa in the top Finnish league (Liiga). He was also named France's player of the game in a 3-1 loss to Slovakia on Thursday and had his three-assist performance after being promoted to center of the second line in the next game.
France's coach, Dave Henderson, is impressed by Texier's development from a year ago, when he was injured in a pre-tournament exhibition game and unable to compete for France.
READ MORE: TEXIER ROUNDING OUT HIS GAME
SWITZERLAND
-- Defenseman Dean Kukan, who also signed a contract extension with the Blue Jackets this season, has a goal and assist in six games with the Swiss team. Kukan is playing left point on the third defense pairing and getting some power-play time, which led to his goal in a 5-3 loss to Sweden on Saturday. The Swiss are currently fourth in Group A and have a chance to advance to the quarterfinals with a win against France on Tuesday or Slovakia losing in regulation to Belarus.
LOOKING AHEAD
Today
Group A
Russia (Gavrikov) 4, Slovakia 0
Czech vs Austria, 2:15 p.m.
Group B
Norway 3, Korea 0
Canada (Dubois, Murray) vs Latvia (Merlikins, Kivlenieks), 2:15 p.m. (NHL Network live & 8 p.m. replay)
Tuesday
Group A
Switzerland (Kukan) vs France (Texier), 6:15 a.m.
Belarus vs Slovakia, 10:15 a.m.
Russia (Gavrikov) vs Sweden, 2:15 p.m. (NHL Network)
Group B
Finland (Nutivaara) vs USA (Atkinson, Milano), 6:15 a.m. (NHL Network live & 8 p.m. replay)
Canada (Dubois, Murray) vs Germany, 10:15 a.m. (NHL Network)
Latvia (Merlikins, Kivlenieks) vs Denmark (Bjorksrand), 2:15 p.m. (NHL Network)
Thursday
Quarterfinals (NHL Network)
Saturday
Semifinals (NHL Network)
Sunday
Gold, Bronze medal games (NHL Network)