WEBER, ST. LOUIS SPARK CANADIAN POWER PLAY DURING 7-3 WIN OVER SLOVAKIA

KLOTEN, Switzerland – The Canadian team is firing on all cylinders at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Shea Weber scored one of Canada's five power-play goals and added three assists Tuesday en route to a 7-3 victory over Slovakia.

IIHF Stats | Men's Worlds Photo Gallery | Game Notes Post-game Audio: • •

It was the third straight lopsided win to open the tournament for Canada, which is looking to win gold after settling for a silver a year ago on home ice.

Jason Spezza, with two, Derek Roy, Shane Doan, Ian White and Steven Stamkos also had goals for Canada. Martin St. Louis added four assists to bring his tournament-leading point total to nine.

Canada now moves into the qualification round and will face either Finland or the Czech Republic on Thursday evening. Tomas Surovy, Marcel Hossa and Dominik Granak replied for Slovakia.

In Tuesday's other games, Russia defeated Switzerland 4-2, Belarus beat Hungary 3-1 and France stunned Germany with a 2-1 victory.

The Canada-Slovakia game would have been much closer if not for some undisciplined play by the Slovaks. They came out hard and were finding some early success on the forecheck, creating a hostile environment inside a sold-out Kloten Arena.

Canadian forward James Neal was knocked out of the game after just three minutes when he was caught by a high-stick while colliding with Ladislav Nagy. That opened a laceration near Neal's eye and he was taken to the hospital for stitches.

There was no penalty called on that play but the Slovaks soon found themselves parading to the box and Canada made them pay.

Roy opened the scoring on a power play at 4:50 by walking in off the point and wiring a shot behind Jaroslav Halak. Doan extended the lead on a 5-on-3 advantage at 6:54 before Spezza scored his first of the night on a power play at 16:51.

Even though the game was 3-0 at that point, it could have been much closer. Slovakia looked pretty dangerous whenever it wasn't killing a penalty.

The Slovaks briefly gave their fans some hope for a comeback when Surovy beat Dwayne Roloson with a quick shot at 6:05 of the second period, but White killed those hopes by hammering a shot by Halak a little over three minutes later.

More penalty trouble helped Canada build a 6-1 lead before the end of the second period.

Weber displayed his big shot by scoring on another 5-on-3 advantage at 13:41, chasing Halak from the net. Replacement Jan Lasak was in less than two minutes before Stamkos beat him high on yet another Canadian power play.

Spezza and Hossa traded goals in a third period that got fairly chippy as the minutes ticked away. Granak rounded out the scoring with 1:12 to play.

Another comfortable win for Canada included another record for Dany Heatley. His assist on Doan's goal was the 22nd he's registered in a world championship, pushing him past Steve Yzerman for the most by a Canadian player since NHLers starting competing in the event in 1977.

Goals/Buts:
04:50 CAN Derek Roy (Martin St. Louis, Shea Weber) PP/AN
06:54 CAN Shane Doan (Martin St. Louis, Dany Heatley) PP/AN
16:51 CAN Jason Spezza PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
01:21 CAN Mike Fisher (High-sticking/Bâton élevé)
04:01 SVK Boris Valabik (Interference/Obstruction)
05:32 SVK Juraj Stefanka (Holding/Retenir)
06:11 SVK Marcel Hossa (Cross-checking/Double-échec)
09:33 SVK Branko Radivojevic (Roughing/Rudesse)
09:33 CAN Joel Kwiatkowski (Roughing/Rudesse)
09:33 CAN Dany Heatley (Interference/Obstruction)
16:13 SVK Branko Radivojevic (Hooking/Accrocher)
17:32 SVK Lubos Bartecko (Hooking/Accrocher)

Goals/Buts:
06:05 SVK Tomas Surovy (Peter Olvecky)
09:39 CAN Ian White (Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis)
13:41 CAN Shea Weber (Martin St. Louis) PP/AN
15:04 CAN Steven Stamkos (Matthew Lombardi, Shea Weber) PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
01:02 CAN Shawn Horcoff (Interference/Obstruction)
10:37 CAN Shea Weber (Roughing/Rudesse)
12:40 SVK Michal Handzus (Interference/Obstruction)
13:32 SVK Marcel Hossa (High-sticking/Bâton élevé)
17:13 CAN Shea Weber (Cross-checking/Double-échec)
19:46 CAN Shea Weber (High-sticking/Bâton élevé)

Goals/Buts :
02:04 CAN Jason Spezza (Matthew Lombardi)
15:40 SVK Marcel Hossa (Juraj Mikus, Stefan Ruzicka) PP/AN
18:48 SVK Dominik Granak (Ladislav Nagy, Branko Radivojevic) PP/AN

Penalties/Punitions:
14:08 CAN Mike Fisher (Interference/Obstruction)
15:48 CAN Martin St. Louis (Roughing/Rudesse)
15:48 CAN Shane Doan (Roughing/Rudesse)
15:48 CAN Shane Doan (Roughing/Rudesse)
15:48 SVK Boris Valabik (Roughing/Rudesse)
15:48 SVK Boris Valabik (Roughing/Rudesse)
17:32 CAN Chris Phillips (Cross-checking/Double-échec)