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IIHF World Championship Day 8 recap: Backlund returns, Lindholm nets hat triick as Sweden stays perfect
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Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Adrian Kiss
May 17, 2025, 06:00 EDTUpdated: May 16, 2025, 23:12 EDT
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Only two Calgary Flames players hit the ice on Day 8 of the IIHF World Championship, which featured four games. Here’s a full recap of the action.

🇦🇹 Austria vs 🇫🇷 France

Austria came out flying, with Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper opening the scoring just 39 seconds into the game. Austria added two more goals in the first period, including a gift-wrapped third after the French netminder misplayed the puck in front of his crease, allowing for an easy tap-in.
After a goalless second period, both teams trading a pair goals in the third, with Kasper and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare each finding the net for their respective countries.
France’s late goals weren’t enough to mount a comeback, and Austria skated away with a 5-2 victory—their first regulation win and second overall of the tournament.
Next games:
  • 🇦🇹 Austria – May 18 vs 🇸🇮 Slovenia
  • 🇫🇷 France – May 17 vs 🇸🇪 Sweden

🇭🇺 Hungary vs 🇩🇰 Denmark

Hungary entered this match-up following a tough 6-1 loss, while Denmark looked to build on a 5-1 win from earlier in the week.
It was a rough outing for the starting goaltenders. Hungary struck early, scoring two goals on just three shots in the first 6:23 of play—promptly ending Danish goalie Sebastian Dahm’s night. That would be all Hungary could muster offensively, managing just nine more shots over the remaining 44 minutes.
From there, it was all Denmark. Mikkel Aagaard capped off the first period with the first of his three goals, and Markus Lauridsen opened the second with his first of two. After a dominant middle frame, Hungary switched goalies, but the change made little difference. Adam Vay allowed four more goals in the third as Denmark cruised to an 8-2 win.
Hungary has now been outscored 14-3 over two days, while Denmark climbs to 2-3 in Group B and sits in the middle.
Next games:
  • 🇭🇺 Hungary – May 18 vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland
  • 🇩🇰 Denmark – May 17 vs 🇳🇴 Norway

🇨🇭 Switzerland vs 🇳🇴 Norway

Switzerland has quietly put together a strong tournament, with wins over the United States and Germany heading into today’s tilt against Norway.
After scoring four goals yesterday, Sven Andrighetto picked up right where he left off, opening the scoring on the power play with a slick snapshot. Gregory Hofmann added another to give the Swiss a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Tyler Moy extended the lead late in the second period with a low shot on a partial breakaway that beat the Norwegian netminder cleanly. Switzerland won 3-0.
Swiss goaltending has been solid throughout the tournament. While not heavily tested in this one, Stéphane Charlin earned a shutout with just 12 saves, giving Leonardo Genoni a day off but accomplishing a similar result.
Switzerland continues to roll and could be a difficult opponent down the stretch.
Next games:
  • 🇨🇭 Switzerland – May 18 vs 🇭🇺 Hungary
  • 🇳🇴 Norway – May 19 vs 🇭🇺 Hungary

🇸🇪 Sweden vs 🇸🇮 Slovenia

Mikael Backlund returned to the lineup after missing a game due to injury, rejoining a Swedish team looking to stay perfect against a Slovenian squad that had just been thumped 9-1.
Sweden had every intention of repeating Slovenia’s misery, but Slovenian goaltender Lukas Horak had other plans. Despite taking the loss, he was the standout player, stopping 56 of 60 shots and keeping Sweden off the scoreboard entirely in the first period.
Eventually, the dam broke. Former Flame Elias Lindholm was the only Swede able to consistently solve Horak. After a strong net drive by Backlund, Lindholm pounced on a loose puck for the game’s opening goal in the second period. He added a second soon after, and completed the hat trick midway through the third with a laser from the face-off circle.
Sweden added one more to make it a 4-0 win. They remain unbeaten in regulation, alongside Canada. (Correction from yesterday: Sweden deserves full credit for their perfect record.)
It was a strong return for Backlund, who finished with a team-high +3 rating. Rasmus Andersson didn’t register a point but remained steady, continuing his excellent play on the Swedish blueline.
Next games:
  • 🇸🇪 Sweden – May 17 vs 🇫🇷 France
  • 🇸🇮 Slovenia – May 18 vs 🇦🇹 Austria

Day 9 schedule

(All times MT.)
  • 🇫🇮 Finland vs 🇱🇻 Latvia – 4:20 a.m.
  • 🇺🇸 United States vs 🇩🇪 Germany – 4:20 a.m.
  • 🇫🇷 France vs 🇸🇪 Sweden – 8:20 a.m.
  • 🇨🇿 Czechia vs 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan – 8:20 a.m.
  • 🇨🇦 Canada vs 🇸🇰 Slovakia – 12:20 p.m.
  • 🇩🇰 Denmark vs 🇳🇴 Norway – 12:20 p.m.
Day 9 features every active Flames player in this year’s tournament—it should be a great day of hockey.
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