Canada’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tries to score on Korea's goalie Matt Dalton.
photo: Matt Zambonin / HHOF-IIHF Images
Canada and Korea have but a one-game history in international competition, and that was a 4-0 Canadian victory three months ago at the Olympics.
Today, a much better Team Canada made up of NHLers started gently but poured it on to the tune of 10-0.
The scoresheet was a litany of multi-point games for Canada, and goalie Curtis McElhinney recorded a relatively easy shutout by blocking 25 mostly harmless shots. No fewer than seven Canadians had at least two points, led by Tyson Jost’s two goals and an assist and Connor McDavid's goal and two assists. Joel Edmundson and Pierre-Luc Dubois also had 1 + 2, and Matt Barzal had three helpers.
"It was nice to get going today," said Matt Barzal. "A lot of guys were involved, which is good. It was a solid effort for our team."
"I was really impressed with the way they started," noted Ryan O'Reilly. "They came out really hard. You could see the work ethic. It took a while for us to generate some offense."
More precisely, it took Canada 8:41 to get its first goal of the game, in the first period, but a three-goal flurry in 85 seconds early in the second started a rout.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the scoring going when he pushed a rebound in after a Connor McDavid rush and Jaden Schwartz pass. Before the end of the period Jost, playing his first game, made it 2-0.
Today, a much better Team Canada made up of NHLers started gently but poured it on to the tune of 10-0.
The scoresheet was a litany of multi-point games for Canada, and goalie Curtis McElhinney recorded a relatively easy shutout by blocking 25 mostly harmless shots. No fewer than seven Canadians had at least two points, led by Tyson Jost’s two goals and an assist and Connor McDavid's goal and two assists. Joel Edmundson and Pierre-Luc Dubois also had 1 + 2, and Matt Barzal had three helpers.
"It was nice to get going today," said Matt Barzal. "A lot of guys were involved, which is good. It was a solid effort for our team."
"I was really impressed with the way they started," noted Ryan O'Reilly. "They came out really hard. You could see the work ethic. It took a while for us to generate some offense."
More precisely, it took Canada 8:41 to get its first goal of the game, in the first period, but a three-goal flurry in 85 seconds early in the second started a rout.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the scoring going when he pushed a rebound in after a Connor McDavid rush and Jaden Schwartz pass. Before the end of the period Jost, playing his first game, made it 2-0.
Korea vs. Canada
KOR vs. CAN
The Koreans looked respectable at this point, skating hard, playing solid defence, and even throwing the odd bodycheck. But in the second, things quickly unraveled when Canada scored two quick power-play goals, the first coming on a two-man advantage.
Colton Parayko converted a perfect teeing-up pass from McDavid to rip a long shot in, and Ryan O’Reilly scored a beauty off a backhand from a bad angle.
Canada added four more goals sprinkled over the period before Jim Paek pulled Matt Dalton in favour of Sungje Park with a little over two minutes remaining.
Connor McDavid added a ninth goal early in the third, beating Park between the pads with a quick shot, and Jordan Eberle made it an even ten just as a Korea penalty expired.
Colton Parayko converted a perfect teeing-up pass from McDavid to rip a long shot in, and Ryan O’Reilly scored a beauty off a backhand from a bad angle.
Canada added four more goals sprinkled over the period before Jim Paek pulled Matt Dalton in favour of Sungje Park with a little over two minutes remaining.
Connor McDavid added a ninth goal early in the third, beating Park between the pads with a quick shot, and Jordan Eberle made it an even ten just as a Korea penalty expired.
Korea vs. Canada
OF