Canada scores 4 in the final period to beat Slovakia 5-1 at ice hockey worlds
Canada's Dylan Cozens, right, celebrates with teammate Sidney Crosby after scoring during the 2026 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship preliminary round group B game between Slovakia and Canada, in Fribourg, Switzerland, Sunday, May 24, 2026. Credit: AP/Alessandro Della Valle
FRIBOURG, Swizterland — Captain Macklin Celebrini scored and Canada beat Slovakia 5-1 after a four-goal burst in the final period at the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.
Celebrini, John Tavares, Gabriel Vilardi and Ryan O’Reilly all recorded a two point game for a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens also scored in Fribourg to help Canada win its sixth straight Group B game.
Canada netminder Jet Greaves stopped 31 shots.
Sidney Crosby set up Cozens to put Canada 1-0 up on a breakaway with 5:32 remaining in the opening period.
It was the fourth goal for Cozens and Crosby’s seventh assist at the tournament.
In the middle period, Kristián Pospíšil tied it 1-1 for Slovakia.
Canada wasted 1:16 of a 5-3 advantage early in the final period but jumped to a 5-1 lead with four goals scored before the midway point.
Latvia's Player celebrate their side's fifth goal during the 2026 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship preliminary round group A match between Great Britain and Latvia in Zurich, Switzerland, Sunday, May 24, 2026. Credit: AP/Andreas Becker
Vilardi restored a one-goal advantage on a power play 2:14 in the period and Tavares netted a backhand shot 2:40 later.
O’Reilly increased it to 4-1 with a short-handed goal for his fifth at the worlds 7:36 in and 1:45 later Celebrini scored his third in Switzerland from the top of the right circle.
Canada tops Group B with 17 points and faces Czechia (13 points) in its last group-stage game on Tuesday. Slovakia is on 11 points in third.
In Zurich, Finland made it six wins from six by beating Austria 5-2 to join Switzerland atop Group A with both teams on 18 points. Austria remains third on nine.
Denmark's Markus Lauridsen, top, falls on Italy's Matt Bradley, during the 2026 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship preliminary round group B game between Denmark and Italy in Fribourg, Switzerland, Sunday, May 24, 2026. Credit: AP/Alessandro della Valle
Britain relegated
Britain's return to the ice hockey world championship proved short-lived after Latvia blanked the newcomer 6-0.
The sixth straight defeat in Group A means Britain is relegated from the top division with a game left.
Britain returned to the top tier after a one-year absence but has failed to win a single point and scored only four goals and conceded 29 in its six games. Britain, which will play Germany on Monday in their final game, trails second-to-last Hungary by three points but lost their head-to-head encounter 5-0.
Another newcomer, Italy, still has a chance to survive after earning the first point in a 3-2 defeat to Denmark in a shootout in Fribourg.
Italy is two points behind Slovenia in Group B before they face each other on Monday.
