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FRANCE 0, CZECH REPUBLIC 6
As things start to tighten atop the Group A standings at the IIHF World Championship, the Czech Republic made a huge leap in their quest for a top-four spot with a decisive 6-0 statement victory over the French on Sunday.
Forwards David Pastrnak and Horak Roman led the way for the Czechs with two goals a piece in the routing of France that extinguished d-man Yohann Auvitu and Les Bleus' already slim chances of reaching the quarter-finals this year.
With the victory, the Czechs slid into third in Group A, with the Swiss trailing by one point and Andrej Sekera and the Slovaks trailing by two, both with a game in hand. The Czechs are now undefeated in their last five matches. The quest for their first medal since a bronze in 2012 continues when they close out group stage action against the Austrians on Monday.
France sits sixth in Group A and will wrap things up against neighbouring Switzerland on Tuesday but can take solace in keeping their spot in the top division as they've done since 2008 as the country continues to grow their hockey identity.
SWITZERLAND 3, SWEDEN 5
Oilers defenceman Adam Larsson scored the game-winning goal and his first of the World Championship as Sweden beat Switzerland 5-3 to retain top spot in Group A ahead of their final and most important match with Russia..
The Russians need to beat Andrej Sekera and Slovakia tomorrow and Sweden on Tuesday to have a hope of catching the Swedes, who peppered Reto Berra for 41 shots in their sixth win of the tournament.
Newly-arrived Patric Hornqvist scored his first of the tournament as one of a pair of powerplay goals for Sweden less than 10 minutes in. The Group A leaders outshot the Swiss 29-9 through two periods and carried a 3-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes.
Larsson wired home an insurance marker and the eventual game-winning goal from the point after the Swiss made the game interesting with goals from Ramon Untersander and Raphael Diaz. Former Oiler Magnus Paajarvi put the game out of reach with 3:18 on the clock to seal an eventual 5-3 win and three more crucial points on the road to top spot in Group A.
The Swiss sweat a defeat that keeps them in fourth place by one point, with Slovakia behind them holding a game in hand.
GERMANY 3, FINLAND 2
It was a gutsy performance, but the Germans will still fall short.
Markus Eisenschmid's overtime goal 2:00 into the extra frame won it for Germany, but the two points for the win means their shot at the quarter-finals is over. Just 24 hours after racking up five past Canada, the Finns fell flat but can still top first spot in Group B with a regulation win over the United States on Tuesday.
Head coach Marco Sturm made the decision to start Mathias Niederberger in goal, and the decision paid off in a 36-save performance that held the Germans afloat for a majority of the game before Sebastien Aho leveled the score for Finland with the power-play one-timer from the top of the circle.
Eisenschmid finished the 2-on-1 with Dominik Kahun to seal the victory, but the win would be bittersweet knowing their chances of advancing ended when the game entered extra time. They'll wrap up their tournament against the Canadians, who know a victory over the already-eliminated Germans will prove vital in the race for position in the group's top-4.
