Canada vs. Finland results: Canadians claim top spot in Group A with wire-to-wire win

Jackie Spiegel

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Canada vs. Finland results: Canadians claim top spot in Group A with wire-to-wire win image

There may not have been revelers in the stands, but this one had some New Year's Eve fireworks — all by the home team. 

Canada faced its stiffest test yet at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and responded with much fanfare. Head coach Andre Tourigny’s squad controlled the game from puck drop and skated away with a 4-1 victory over Finland. With the win, Canada clinched the top spot in Group A; it will face the Czech Republic on Saturday to start the medal round.

Backed by, as TSN's Ray Ferraro put it, a ferocious forecheck, the Canadians were dominant. They took an early lead on Dylan Cozens' fifth goal, and 10th point, of the tournament. Cozens — who was sporting the "C" on Thursday — and his buddies broke out on a 3-on-1, and the Sabres prospect kept the puck, beating Kari Piiroinen short side. He added a workmanlike empty-netter to seal the deal for his sixth goal of the 2021 edition and his 20th career point at the World Juniors, tying John Tavares.

"That was beautiful. The way the boys were doing it there was impressive," Tourigny said with a smile regarding the forecheck. "We apply a lot of pressure, our D were up to play and we had good reload. It's not like we were pressing and being careless. No, we also have numbers defensively on the right side of the puck. The energy was phenomenal. So, really proud of the boys . . . we did it all night long, so, really good job."

Canada got two more goals in the middle frame — one from Dylan Holloway and one from Peyton Krebs — to take a 3-0 lead. Krebs’ goal was a beauty; he knocked the puck in through the legs with his back to the goal.

"I think we did a real good job getting to the inside tonight, getting to the front of the net and battling there," Cozens noted. "I think that's something we improved a lot in this game. We've been a little perimeter so far but today we got inside and we threw a lot more things on net. The more shots we get, the more chances you have of scoring goals, so that's what we did tonight."

Finland got one back in the third on a Brad Lambert shot from the left circle on the power play, but other than that, it didn’t have much offense. Canada put 40 shots on net to the Finns' 19 and maintained offensive zone control throughout the contest.

With Braden Schneider's assist on the Holloway goal, every Canadian skater has now tallied at least one assist. Cozens leads Canada, and is second behind the United States Trevor Zegras in the tournament, with 11 points (six goals. five assists).

The Canadians did lose Alex Newhook in the second period with an upper-body injury. Tourigny did not have an update after the game.

"I think today was probably our best full 60-minute effort," said defenseman Bowen Byram. "I thought we played really well. In the first two periods, we were all over them. We were first to pucks, we were reloading well and getting pucks to the net.

"I think whenever good teams [are] down like that you can expect a bit of a push and they did it at the end there. They created some good opportunities and [Canada goalie Devon Levi] was kicking them out. It was a good game and showed our identity. We're happy and ready to move on to the quarters."

There it will face the Czech Republic, which stunned the high-powered Russian machine on Sunday.

"We know that if we play our best and we are confident in our best games, we can play with or play better than anybody here," Byram said. "So that's what [our] attitude is moving forward. We're not worried about anybody else. We're worried about ourselves and our preparation So, we've got to be ready to play whoever it is coming up, the Czechs in the quarters. We worry about the task at hand. We're not too worried about anything. We're not looking back at anything. We're getting ready for our next game."

Sporting News had all the action as Canada and Finland battled for the top spot in Group A on New Year's Eve.

Canada vs. Finland scores, highlights from 2021 World Juniors

(All times Eastern)

Final: Canada 4, Finland 1

8:17 p.m. — EN GOAL. Dylan Cozens with unreal tenacity in the neutral zone as he outmuscles the Finn for the puck and gets the empty-net goal. Canada leads 4-1.

8:15 p.m. — Just under 2:30 left and Finland pulls the netminder.

8:14 p.m. — Under three minutes now and the line of Krebs, Perfetti and Zary is controlling the puck in the Finland zone.

8:12 p.m. — Not much action but with five minutes to go, Canda still leads 3-1.

7:57 p.m. — Heinola takes a shot off the right hand and can't even hold his stick. Not great news for the Finns — or the Jets — as he would go to the locker room.

7:55 p.m. — Roni Hirvonen takes an offensive zone penalty. Canada gets a power play.

7:53 p.m. — PP GOAL. What a shot by the 17-year-old Brad Lambert as he gets the puck in the left circle and rifles the wrister that goes off Thomas Harley's stick and in. Canada leads 3-1.

7:51 p.m. — Dylan Cozens takes an offensive zone minor. Finland gets its first power play. They're 4-for-12 in the tourney.

7:50 p.m. — Another crossbar for Connor McMichael. No. 3?

7:47 p.m. — Devon Levi makes a good stop on a point shot. Finland looking a little better to start the third.

7:46 p.m. — Final frame.

Second period: Canada 3, Finland 0

7:25 p.m. — Good pad save by Kari Piiroinen on a shot from the right circle.

7:25 p.m. — Canada gets another power play. They're 0-for-3 so far with the man advantage but a goal here would seal the deal. (Update: They do not score.)

7:23 p.m. — About 150 seconds left in the period and Canada has 30 shots on net and, more importantly, three goals.

7:18 p.m. — GOAL. Canada's forecheck and offensive zone control is crushing Finland. Bowen Byram's shot is stopped and Peyton Krebs buries the rebound with his back to the play and between his legs. He's had himself a game. Canada up 3-0.

7:17 p.m. — Canada's forecheck is off-the-charts good. Dawson Mercer with a one-timer from the slot.

7:15 p.m. — Alex Newhook will not return with an upper-body injury.

7:10 p.m. — Finland finding some offense as they get one off the pipe. They now have five shots on net.

7:07 p.m. — GOAL. Jakob Pelletier skating now with the Dylans, Cozens and Holloway, and they are all over the Finns. Pelletier gets the puck in atop the circles, turns and shoots and it goes off Holloway and in. Flames prospect to an Oilers prospect.  Canada leads 2-0.

7:06 p.m. — Canada didn't score on the man advantage and after the power play Finland finally got its second shot on net.

7:01 p.m. — Canada goes back to the power play as Heinola called for interference. Canada 0-for-2 in the game with three shots.

6:59 p.m. — Newhook went to the locker room. He took a hard hit in the first period and tried to give-it-a-go on the first shift of the second but didn't last long.

6:56 p.m. — The second period is underway. Some first-period stats: Canada 17 shots on goal to Finland's one. Per TSN's Ray Ferraro, Canada made 58 passes in the period to Finland's eight.

First period: Canada 1, Finland 0

6:36 p.m. — Canada doesn't score but gets two shots on net.

6:34 p.m. — Another power play for Canada. The team is 0-for-1 with 1 shot so far in the game.

6:30 p.m. — Devon Levi is so calm and steady in net. Scorebug notes only one save from earlier but he definitely made two pads stops on shots up close.

6:26 p.m. — Jakob Pelletier breaks in all alone but just misses and Piiroinen makes the pad save.

6:26 p.m. — Connor McMichael comes out of the corner, spins and shoots. Good chance stopped by the Finnish netminder.

6:24 p.m. — Eleven minutes in and Devon Levi has seen one shot (and it was an easy one to stop).

6:18 p.m. — Eight minutes in and the Canadians are outshooting the Finns 9-0. Kari Piiroinen has looked ok but he's definitely a bit shaky in net for Finland (not sure if he has the puck, looking back to see, etc.)

6:17 p.m. — Great play by Ryan Suzuki to feed Quinton Byfield on his wing. Byfield gets a good scoring chance on the power play. Earlier on the man advantage, McMichael hit the pipe.

6:16 p.m. — Canada gets a power play to extend its lead.

6:13 p.m. — GOAL. Dylan Cozens, sporting the "C" tonight, off a neutral zone turnover that becomes a 3-on-1 and he keeps and beats Kari Piiroinen short side. Canada leads 1-0.

6:11 p.m. — Quinton Byfield gets cross-checked and takes a stick to the face from his teammate Jack Quinn. He's ok but has to leave as he's bleeding.

6:09 p.m. — Canadians jump out on a 3-on-2 and McMichael gets a solid chance down the left wing.

6:08 p.m. — First shift and the Canadians are flying.

6:08 p.m. — Game on and as the referee said, "Let's end 2020 on a high note."

Pregame

5:53 p.m. — Almost game time.

5:33 p.m. —  The winner plays the Czechs. The loser gets Sweden or the United States. A lot on the line.

5:03 p.m. — Agreed.

5:01 p.m. — New Year's Eve drip.

World Juniors 2021: Latest news

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Jackie Spiegel