2017-18 National Men's Team

CANADA BLANKS GERMANY IN PRELIM FINALE AT WORLDS

JESSICA GOWANS

HERNING, Denmark – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Burnaby, B.C./Edmonton, NHL) had a goal and an assist and Darcy Kuemper (Saskatoon, Sask./Arizona, NHL) was perfect between the pipes as Canada’s National Men’s Team blanked Germany 3-0 on Tuesday to wrap up preliminary play at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

With the win, Canada finished the preliminary round with a 4-1-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, good for 15 points and third place in Group B. It will face either Sweden or Russia in the quarter-finals Thursday in Copenhagen.

Brayden Schenn (Saskatoon, Sask./St. Louis, NHL) and Tyson Jost (Kelowna, B.C./Colorado, NHL) had the other goals for Canada, while Connor McDavid (Newmarket, Ont./Edmonton, NHL) added two assists.

The captain finished the prelims with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in seven games, good for fourth in tournament scoring.

Schenn wasted no time getting Canada on the board, opening the scoring only 20 seconds in when Nugent-Hopkins fed a pass from below the goal line for a quick shot and a 1-0 lead.

Nugent-Hopkins stretched the lead to two midway through the second period, taking a no-look pass from McDavid and tucking it off the post and in behind German goaltender Niklas Treutle.

Jost finished the scoring in the third period off a cross-ice set-up from Joel Edmundson (Brandon, Man./St. Louis, NHL), netting his fourth goal in six games.

Kuemper wasn’t busy but was sharp when he needed to be, turning away all 12 German shots he faced.