Tipped to be among the top picks in the next National Hockey League draft, Slovak Juraj Slafkovsky picked up two assists in a 4-2 win over France in a World Hockey Championship preliminary round game presented in Helsinki, Finland, on Friday.
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The young skater participated in the net of veteran Tomas Tatar at the start of the middle period as well as that of Pavol Regenda with a few seconds left in the confrontation. The latter also opened the scoring in the first period. Samuel Takac was the author of his other goal, while Patrik Rybar stopped 16 shots.
Among the representatives of France, Alexandre Texier and Tim Bozon returned empty-handed. Jordann Perret and Anthony Rech scored. Henri Corentin Buysse faced 27 shots.
To return to Slafkovsky, his name has been mentioned by some observers to be the one who will be named first in the amateur auction, ahead of Shane Wright. The Montreal Canadiens also holds this selection.
A pass for Joel Armia
In Tampere, Canadian player Joel Armia also stood out in front of his Finnish supporters with a goal and an assist in a 5-0 victory against Norway on Friday.
After setting the table for teammate Harri Pesonen in the first period, Armia hit the target in the third period on a power play. Goalkeeper Jussi Olkinuora signed the white in front of the Finland net by making 20 saves.
Canadiens fans will remember that Armia did not have a great season, in 2021-2022, with 14 points, including six goals, in 60 games. He also posted a differential of -15.
The Americans start with a bang
The United States scored three goals in the space of 4:25 in the first half to easily beat Latvia 4-1, still in Tampere.
Former Canadian Riley Barber began the decisive push in the eighth minute of play. Then, halfway through the engagement, Seth Jones deceived the vigilance of his ex-Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Elvis Merzlikins. Forward Thomas Bordeleau completed the American scoring streak 78 seconds later.
Sam Lafferty widened the gap after returning from the locker room, while Alex Galchenyuk obtained an assist during the game. Habs prospect Sean Farrell was held in check. Strauss Mann stopped 24 shots, yielding only to Andris Dzerins early in the third period. The winners will face Austria on Sunday.