5 things learned from Day 1 of World Juniors

Monday was the first day of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held in Buffalo.

Results

Czech Republic 5, Russia 4
Sweden 6, Belarus 1
Canada 4, Finland 2
United States 9, Denmark 0

Five things we learned

United States cruises against Denmark

Forwards Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders) and Casey Mittelstadt (Buffalo Sabres) each had two goals to help the United States to a 9-0 win against Denmark.
Bellows' power-play goal in the first period made it 2-0 at 5:04. Mittelstadt made it 3-0 3:24 later. Mittelstadt's second goal at 18:24 of the first made it 5-0. Bellows made it 6-0 when he scored on a penalty shot at 4:08 of the second period.
"I thought we were working down low and we had good net-front presence tonight," Bellows said. "I thought we used our speed really well. I thought everyone that used their skill set were using their strong suits well."
Defenseman Andrew Peeke (Columbus Blue Jackets) and forwards Patrick Harper (Nashville Predators) and Max Jones (Anaheim Ducks) each had a goal and an assist. Joseph Woll (Toronto Maple Leafs) made 17 saves.
"That's a tough game for coaches because we want to control things," United States coach Bob Motzko said. "And then it gets away and then you're not in control anymore, because then we get into bad habits and things like that. But we put our foot down and we're moving forward."

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Mittelstadt impresses

Mittelstadt, the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Sabres, was named player of the game for the United States. Mittelstadt was happy to get the win, but his performance in front of the fans in Buffalo made it extra sweet.
"No matter where this tournament would be, I have really high expectations of myself and I expect myself to play to the best of my abilities," Mittelstadt said. "So whether it's here or not, I'm going to go out there and expect myself to be my best, and I guess having it in Buffalo is a little bit of a cherry on top."

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Canada holds off Finland

Canada got goals in the first period from forwards Boris Katchouk (Tampa Bay Lightning), Sam Steel (Anaheim Ducks) and Drake Batherson (Ottawa Senators) in a 4-2 win against Finland.
Katchouk (5:34) and Steel (6:01) scored 27 seconds apart, with Katchouk's goal coming after a review in which it appeared the net was pushed off its moorings before the puck crossed the line. Finland's Aleksi Heponiemi (Florida Panthers) made it 2-1 at 12:19, but Batherson scored 33 seconds later.
"I thought we got better as the game went on," Canada coach Dominique Ducharme said. "I didn't like our first period even though we scored three times. A little bit better in the second and better with the lead in the third."
Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers) made 29 saves for Canada, but was helped out late in the third period when a shot by Finland forward Joona Koppanen (Boston Bruins) bounced off forward Juha Jaaska (2018 draft eligible) and rolled toward the goal line but was swept away by Canada defenseman Callan Foote (Tampa Bay Lightning).
"That was pretty crazy," Hart said. "I didn't know where it was until I saw it on the scoreboard. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was in."

Czechs surprise Russia

The Czech Republic got the World Junior Championship off to a fast start with a surprise 5-4 win against Russia.
Forwards Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes), Filip Chytil (New York Rangers), Ostap Safin (Edmonton Oilers), and Filip Zadina (2018 NHL Draft eligible) each had a goal and an assist, and Martin Kaut (2018 draft eligible) had three assists.
Chytil, the No. 21 pick in the 2017 draft, was injured briefly in the second period when he collided with Russia forward Alexei Polodyan (2018 draft eligible), but returned moments later. He followed that up scoring a rebound goal in the second period that gave the Czech Republic a 4-2 lead.
"I don't know if I have a broken nose or what I have, but I wanted to play the third period because I play for the Czech Republic, for my country, and I like to play hockey for my country and that's the reason I played the third period," Chytil said.
Czech Repbulic goalie Josef Korenar (San Jose Sharks) helped withstand a late push from Russia, which got third-period goals from forward Artur Kayumov (Chicago Blackhawks) at 17:48 and defenseman Vladislav Syomin (2018 draft eligible) at 19:02 to make it 5-4.
"Our goalie was great this game," Chytil said. "And defenders and penalty kills were great and maybe because of them we won the game. Big win."

Sweden steady against Belarus

Captain Lias Andersson (New York Rangers) scored two goals to help Sweden defeat Belarus 6-1.
Although Sweden outshot Belarus 36-9, the game was tied 1-1 after the first period when Belarus forward Yegor Shangarovich (2018 draft eligible) took advantage of a turnover and beat Filip Gustavsson (Pittsburgh Penguins) on a breakaway at 14:56.
"It's the first game of the tournament and it's a bit nervous for, I think, everybody in the first there," defenseman Erik Brannstrom (Vegas Golden Knights) said. "We were getting better and better in the second and third, so it was a good first game of the tournament."
Sweden settled down in the second period and scored three times with goals from Brannstrom, a deflected goal by Glenn Gustafsson (2018 draft eligible), and well-aimed wrist shot by Jesper Boqvist (New Jersey Devils).
Andersson's two goals in the third sealed the win. Forwards Elias Petterson (Vancouver Canucks) had a goal and an assist, and Alexander Nylander (Buffalo Sabres) had two assists.

What's next

Switzerland vs. Belarus (3 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center, NHLN, TSN)
Canada vs. Slovakia (6 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center, NHLN, TSN, RDS2)