Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships 2017

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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Preliminary Round

DAY 1

Group B
Central European Summer Time (GMT +2)

Finland 3 - 2

Belarus
Period-by-Period: 2-0, 0-1, 1-1
May 5th 2016, h. 16:15, AccorHotels Arena, Paris

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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Preliminary Round

DAY 1

Group B
Central European Summer Time (GMT +2)

Finland 3 - 2

Belarus
Period-by-Period: 2-0, 0-1, 1-1
May 5th 2016, h. 16:15, AccorHotels Arena, Paris

Finns open with win

Savinainen's goal saves the day versus Belarus

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Veli-Matti Savinainen got the third-period winner as Finland edged Belarus 3-2 to kick off the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Paris on Friday.

It was a lovely power play goal at 9:15. Sebastian Aho fed Mikko Rantanen below the goal line, and he centered it to Savinainen, who made no mistake. The 31-year-old forward led Finland's Liiga with 30 goals for champion Tappara this season.

Aho and Oskar Osala tallied for Finland in the first period. In his Worlds debut, goalie Joonas Korpisalo earned the win despite some nervous moments. Shots were even at 24 apiece.

"We had a good first period, but then let the Belarus team back in the game after that," said Finnish captain Lasse Kukkonen. "In the end, we found a way to get the win, and that's the main thing."

Yegor Sharangovich and Yevgeni Kovyrshin replied for Belarus.

The Finns, who settled for silver last year, are hoping to win gold for the first time since 2011. The Belarusians, meanwhile, would love to return to the quarter-finals. They came seventh in 2014 and 2015, but fell to 12th last year.

"They're a good team," Kukkonen said of Belarus. "You have to respect them. They have a lot of players in the KHL, and many of the forwards play on the top lines, so they're skilled."

The AccorHotels Arena hosted the first top-level World Championship game in Paris since Norway blanked the U.S. 3-0 on 9 March, 1951.

It took just 2:43 for Finland to open the scoring. Valtteri Filppula found Aho in the right face-off circle for a one-timer that squeezed through Belarus netminder Kevin Lalande. The 19-year-old forward, appearing in his second Worlds, was fifth among NHL rookies this season with 49 points for the Carolina Hurricanes.

At 5:09, Osala made it 2-0 after a Belarus turnover along the side boards, whipping the puck over the goalie’s right shoulder. Osala, a veteran KHL winger who plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, had waited a long time for his first World Championship goal. He went scoreless in four games in his only other Worlds in 2009.

Sensing the game was getting away from his players, Belarus coach Dave Lewis called a timeout to regroup.

It was when Belarus killed off Finland’s late first-period two-man advantage that the difference between this year’s Suomi and the 2016 silver medalists became most apparent. Last year, Finland led the tournament with 12 power play goals, clicking at 29.2 percent with Patrik Laine’s howitzers and Mikael Granlund’s silky passes. Here in Paris, Finnish coach Lauri Marjamaki doesn’t have quite as much creativity to deploy.

Play turned sloppy in the second period as both teams struggled to find their rhythm. The gaffes climaxed when Korpisalo coughed up the puck behind his own net. Mikhail Stefanovich centered it to Sharangovich, who fired it into the gaping cage with 1:52 left before the buzzer. It was the 18-year-old Minsk native's first Worlds goal.

Belarus tied it up at 4:32 of the third period. Kovyrshin won a draw in the Finnish zone and then went to the net to tip Roman Graborenko's point shot home. The play was video-reviewed to check for a high stick and ruled good.

"We got those two goals in the first, which was good, but then we stopped working and let them come back," said Finland's Ville Lajunen. "The power-play goal at the end was important."

Trailing late in the game, Belarus pressed for the equalizer, but couldn't capitalize despite getting two man advantages and pulling Lalande for the extra attacker with 1:48 left.

"The first game is always a little bit tough," said Finland's Joonas Kemppainen. "Anything can happen. But we know we will play better."

This was the tenth all-time meeting between Finland and Belarus at the Worlds, and the ninth Finnish victory. Oleg Antonenko scored the shootout winner on 2 May, 2009 when Belarus edged Finland 2-1.

Right now, Finland and Belarus are also rivals off the ice. The Finns are bidding to host the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, and Belarus has made a joint bid with Latvia. The decision will come at the IIHF Congress in Cologne later this month.

Three Finnish fans showed up in Tupu, Hupu, and Lupu jerseys. Those are the names of Donald Duck’s nephews in Finnish, and the legendary line of Saku Koivu, Ville Peltonen, and Jere Lehtinen was thus christened when leading Finland to its first World Championship title ever in 1995. This year’s team still has a long way to go before matching that kind of glory.

Next up, Belarus faces the Czechs on Saturday, while Finland battles host France on Sunday.

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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Preliminary Round

DAY 1

Group A
Central European Summer Time (GMT +2)

Sweden

1 - 2GWS Russia
Period-by-Period: 1-0, 0-0, 0-1, OT: 0-0, GWS: 0-1
May 5th 2016, h. 16:15, LANXESS Arena, Cologne

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Preliminary Round

DAY 1

Group A
Central European Summer Time (GMT +2)

Sweden

1 - 2GWS Russia
Period-by-Period: 1-0, 0-0, 0-1, OT: 0-0, GWS: 0-1
May 5th 2016, h. 16:15, LANXESS Arena, Cologne

OT is OK with Russia

Panarin SO goal caps exciting afternoon tilt

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Three periods of exciting hockey, an overtime and shootout opened the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship afternoon game between Sweden and Russia.

Russia and Sweden met this afternoon in the first game of the 2017 World Championships in Germany. Artemi Panarin’s shootout goal at ended an entertaining contest played before a sold out crowd of 18,537 at LANXESS arena in Cologne.

Sweden limited a Russian team known for offensive theatrics and high powered scoring to a goal in regulation time. Last year, Russia scored 44 goals at the World Championships, second only to gold medal winning Team Canada. But as the game wore on, Russia kept pressing and finally found its stride.

"It was going to a tough game but a great game." Swedish head coach Rikard Gronborg said in the postgame press conference. "We started first 15-16 minutes excellent. We forchecked well and caught their transition game and scored. In the second we got on our heels and I think Russia got stronger then by the third we cold not keep going for 60 minutes. Weeed to look forward. Good to get this game in as a measuring stick for our team."

The first period was fun to watch as both teams traded chances. Sweden came out on the attack, taking the play to their opponents and keeping the inexperienced Russian defenders bottled up in their own zone over the early part of the game. A strong pace to the contest led to chances in both ends of the ice. There were few whistles over the first half of the period.

Shots on goal in the period were 10-9 Sweden.

Alexander Edler established an early presence with two jarring hits in the period.

Sweden would get on the board at 14:40 when Victor Hedman sent a long pass out of the defensive zone through the neutral zone, rebounding off the board to Victor Rask on the wing. Rask brought the puck along the sideboard, fought of a check from Artyom Zub, to find Elias Lindholm streaking towards the net.

Lindholm’s high wrister beat Andrei Vasilevski, putting Tre Kronor up early.

Both team continued at it in the second period but both defences cut down the number of quality chances. Vasilevski was in fine form, handling the wave of Swedish attacks on his net. Vasilevski was a member of the 2014 gold medal winning Russian team that went undefeated in Minsk, Belarus. In the two games he appeared, Vasilevski won both, conceding a lone goal and registering a shutout.

Panarin was involved in the action and had a few opportunities to get Russia event. In the first period, he received a cross ice pass from Vadim Shipachyov that he fired on goal but was stopped by Viktor Fasth. Then in the second period he was stonewalled on another high quality chance.

Russia applied pressure early in the third period and were close. A wraparound try by Alexander Barabanov was blocked by a perfectly positioned Fasth.

At 3:58 of the third, Russia’s continued pressure finally led to a goal. Working to keep the puck deep, Ivan Provorov sent the puck behind the net to Barabanov whose backhand pass found Sergei Andronov in front to equalize the game.

The goal brought the decidedly pro Russia crowd to life and sparked the team. In the period, Russia was dominant, showing more energy and getting after loose pucks. The stat sheet told the story as they outshot Sweden 14-3.

"Maybe we didn't play all that well in the first two periods, but we got it right in the third." Vasilevski said. "We worked harder, skated harder, the guys never gave up. They blocked shots well, they helped me see the puck. It wasn't easy to adapt but thanks to the way our guys played - especially in the third period - it got easier."

In overtime three-on-three made for more thrilling action. Nikita Kucherov missed on a breakaway when he shot the puck backhand and wide. Then Vasilevski made a stop in front, shoveled the puck forward to create a two-on-one for his team but an errant back pass by Provorov sent Sweden back two-on-one in the other direction but Rask could not tee up the puck off a pass from Hedman that hit him in the chest.

The ever dangerous Panarin scored the only goal of the shootout to cap the Russian comeback and earn his team its first win of the tournament.

Sweden came up just short but able to pick up a point.

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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POWER RANKING

As of May 5th, 2017

Two-time defending champion Canada tops our first Power Rankings of 2017, followed by Russia and Sweden. Let the good times roll!

1.	Canada:	Speak softly and carry a big Ron Hextall stick
2.	Russia:	Like Metallica said: “Ride The Lightning”
3.	Sweden:	Because Norris Trophy potential is sexy
4.	United States:	Team North America First
5.	Czech Republic:	Forget about deodorant, we’re all about Cologne
6.	Finland:	Underestimate us! Go on! Do it!
7.	Switzerland:	But why can’t we have Team Europe again?
8.	Germany:	We grew up dreaming of finishing fourth
9.	Slovakia:	The good news is we have a guy named Stastny
10.	Denmark:	Mr. Ehlers, is it OK if we triple-shift you?
11.	Belarus:	Bound for the finals – of the Fed Cup
12.	Norway:	Thoresen was the ancient Norse god of pucks
13.	France:	Croyez-vous aux miracles?
14.	Latvia:	Baryshnikov just got citizenship, but he has a pulled groin
15.	Slovenia:	In fairness, Melania's not here either
16.	Italy:	Why does Luongo always turn us down? Why?

*The Power Rankings are for the enjoyment, and reflect the progress of teams during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. They are distinct from the official standings and IIHF World Ranking.

hckošice · May 5, 2017

Results after 1st Period

Group A in Cologne

United States - Germany 0-1 (0-1,-,-)

10:50 Tobias RIEDER 0-1

Group B in Paris

Czech Republic - Canada 0-1 (0-1,-,-)

06:09 Ryan O´REILLY 0-1

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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Germans counting on home boost

Hopes high for strong tournament

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When Germany last hosted the World Championships in 2010, they finished fourth. Expectations are certainly high here in Cologne.

There’s nothing like playing in front of a supportive audience. Such support can elevate a team’s performance and have some not-so-insignificant influence how well they play. When the World Championships were last in Germany, such support propelled the native side to the bronze medal game. Although they fell short with a 3-1 loss to Sweden, it was nonetheless Germany’s best tournament showing in some years. Buoyed by fans here in Cologne, this cathedral city on the Rhine, Germany will play for country, pride and standings. The team also has the good fortune of having a few of their NHL competitors in the lineup and possibly a few more on the way should things work out.

Goalie

Thomas Greiss came into his own with the New York Islanders. He won 26 games and posted a 2.69 goals against average. Greiss began the season as one of three goaltenders with the Islanders. He played well enough that the Islanders waived then starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak and turned the responsibility over to Greiss, who exceled. At the 2016 World Championships, Greiss won three of the four games he played with a 2.50 goals against average. Greiss will more than likely see the bulk of the action here. Danny Aus Den Birken is no stranger to Cologne. Aus Den Birken played with the local team the Sharks from 2010-2015. He’s been named to the German team three times since 2013 but has only participated in two games. Felix Bruckmann was the third goaltender last year and did not see any action. The 26-year-old Bruckmann completed his third season with Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams.

Defence

Germany was strong defensively in Russia where they gave up five goals in a game only twice and that came at the hands of the two gold medal teams. Germany surrendered 24 goals in the 2016 tournament. Konrad Abeltshauser scored 10 goals and 31 points in his second year with Munich EHC ia making his senior men's debut. In his first season with the New York Islanders, Dennis Seidenberg scored five goals and is familiar playing in front of Thomas Greiss. Moritz Muller is an active Cologne Sharks player who will be playing in a familiar city, in a familiar arena. Denis Ruel, a Mannheim Eagles product, is a defensive defenseman who should bolster the blueline. Same can be said for Justin Krueger, and Frank Hordler. Christian Ehrhoff will wear the captain’s C for this team but will miss out at least on the first game with an upper-body injury. A member of the Cologne Sharks, Ehrhoff will help this team in many ways. Ehrhoff played alongside Marco Sturm from 2003 to 2005.

Forwards

Tobias Rieder put up a career best 16 goals with the Arizona Coyotes. This is his third opportunity to represent his country at the World Championships. Winnipeg born Brooks Macek moved from Iserlohn to Munich last season and tied for second in goal scoring. His teammate Yannic Seidenberg was third in scoring for Munich with 42 points Yannic will be playing with his brother Dennis on this team. Patrick Reimer is a constant scoring threat, first as a DEL player with Nuermberg, where he scored 26 goals this season, but also in his career as a national team contributor. In 29 World Championship games, Reimer has scored 11 goals. Last year he scored four in eight games. Philip Gogulla, a second round draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2005, has had a solid career playing in Cologne. Since 2004, he’s been a mainstay with the DEL's Sharks except for a brief stint in North America in 2009-10. After a two year absence, Gogulla returned to the national team in 2016 and tied for the team lead in scoring with seven points. Patrick Hager was also one of their leading scorers and led all skaters with a +6 rating. Marcus Kink, Yasin Ehliz, Gerrit Fauser, Dominik Kahun fill out the roster.

Coaching

Marco Sturm breathed life into Germany hockey with his debut as head coach at the 2016 World Championships. With a 7^th place finish, Germany qualified for the playoffs and played strong, balanced hockey. As a player, Sturm was a member of the 2001 team that played in Germany. In seven games, he led his team with four goals scored. Sturm will be aided by Geoff Ward, Patrick Dallaire and Tobias Abstreiter. Abstreiter represented Germany as a player from 1994-2004 and briefly played in Cologne from 1994-1997.

Projected Results

Germany made great strides in 2016 under Sturm’s leadership. Now they will hope to continue their rise with another impressive showing. But before the books can be written on this tournament, Germany will have a lot of work to do. A top four finish in the group can set them up for a playoff round clash with one of the team's competing in Paris. At that point, hard work, coaching, good bounces, fan support, and opportunity will carry the German effort. Not only can Germany look at hosting the World Championships as a win off ice, they can also feel good about qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Every building block is an important one for the Germans.

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hckošice · May 5, 2017

Results after 2nd Period

Group A in Cologne

United States - Germany 0-1 (0-1, 0-0,-)

10:50 Tobias RIEDER 0-1

Group B in Paris

Czech Republic - Canada 0-2 (0-1, 0-1,-)

06:09 Ryan O´REILLY 0-1

20:55 Mike MATHESON 0-2

hckošice · May 5, 2017

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Czechs could surprise

Jandac's boys seek first medal since 2012

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Since winning gold in 2010 and two bronzes in 2011 and 2012, the Czech Republic has gone empty-handed at the Worlds. But the drought might end this year.

Perhaps it’s a statement about the reduced depth of Czech hockey, but this team could perform better than the more star-studded roster that placed fourth on home ice in Prague in 2015. Josef Jandac, who took the reins as head coach for the sixth-place finish at September’s World Cup of Hockey, has some promising young talent to play with here. If his squad gels quickly, Group A opponents in Paris could be in for a tough fight.

Goal

In Petr Mrazek, the Czechs boast one of hockey’s most talented young netminders. The knock on Mrazek has always been his consistency. The 25-year-old Ostrava native’s numbers sagged this season (3.04 GAA and 90.1 save percentage in 50 games) as the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Still, Mrazek, named Best Goalie at the 2012 World Juniors, is eminently capable of stealing a game, and shines when he faces a lot of rubber: see his 39-save performance in a 4-3 win over the United States at the World Cup of Hockey. This is Mrazek’s first opportunity as the unquestioned starter for the Czechs at the senior level. His only previous Worlds appearance was for 9:12 in an 8-1 romp over Germany in 2012.

Backing up Mrazek will be Pavel Francouz. The 26-year-old is coming off an excellent campaign with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk (1.43 GAA and 95.3 save percentage in 30 games). Francouz previously played at the 2013 and 2016 Worlds, and has twice been named the Czech Extraliga’s best goalie.

Defence

The relatively youthful Czech blue line is intriguing. There are no budding Norris Trophy candidates, but there’s enough hockey sense and skating ability to keep most opponents at bay. Michael Kempny (Chicago Blackhawks) is the only World Cup returnee, and while the smooth-skating 26-year-old didn’t strut his offensive stuff in a bottom-pairing role in the Windy City (2-6-8 in 50 games), he should make an impact on the power play here. Montreal Canadiens fans will be watching Jakub Jerabek curiously after he signed a one-year deal with their club: the 25-year-old from Plzen shone with 34 points in 59 games for Vityaz Podolsk this season.

Add the grit of Philadelphia Flyers veteran Radek Gudas and the two-way play of KHLer and former Washington Capitals prospect Tomas Kundratek, and you’ve got a nice core. This defensive group certainly isn’t on par with Canada’s or Sweden’s, but shouldn’t be underestimated either.

Forward

Nobody is saying that David Pastrnak will challenge Jaromir Jagr as the greatest Czech NHL attacker of all time. But the 20-year-old right winger from Havirov blossomed in his third season with Boston (34-36-70), leading all Czech NHLers, and he’ll need to be a difference-maker on the top line with veterans Roman Cervenka and Tomas Plekanec. He had six points at last year's Worlds. Prior to Pastrnak, Jakub Voracek was the top new Czech winger to enter the world’s top league, and the Philadelphia Flyers veteran had his third-best offensive campaign ever with 61 points – even if he sagged to a career-worst -24 plus-minus rating. He should be dangerous alongside two-time Gagarin Cup winner Jan Kovar: the 27-year-old centre has scored 20 or more goals in all four of his season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

The third and fourth lines won’t be as dynamic, but avoiding defensive mistakes is always the key to Czech hockey success, and if they can make it hard to skate through the neutral zone and chip in on the counterattack, Jandac will be a happy man. It’ll be interesting to see if the Czechs add more NHLers as the tournament wears on.

Coaching

Josef Jandac spent four seasons with Sparta Prague before serving as an assistant coach under Vladimir Vujtek on last year’s fifth-place Worlds squad. But the 48-year-old’s roots with the national team go back further: he was also a protege of Vladimir Ruzicka’s, assisting with the golden 2010 Worlds team and the Olympic team in Vancouver that year. Jandac has lively and experienced assistant coaches with former NHLers Vinny Prospal and Jaroslav Spacek, plus veteran Czech league coach Jiri Kalous – all are holdovers from the World Cup of Hockey staff.

Projected Results

The Czechs don’t face an easy road, debuting against defending champion Canada on Friday and facing 2016 silver medalists Finland on Monday. But if they clamp down and avoid squandering points against lesser opponents – they fell 2-1 in a shootout to Denmark last year – they should cruise into the quarter-finals. If they stumble, however, more than just playoff seeding could be on the line in their Group B closer against Switzerland.

This nation is at its most dangerous when it's the underdog – see the 1998 Olympic and 2010 gold medal runs. Taking a bronze medal home from Cologne is a worthy and realistic aspiration. Czech fans could use some good news. The turn-of-the-century golden era was a long time ago.

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