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World Championships Recap Day 11: Team USA and Team Slovakia need a regulation win on Tuesday to punch ticket to playoff round
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
May 26, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: May 26, 2026, 10:35 EDT
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Just like that, there is one more day remaining in the preliminary round of the 2026 IIHF World Championships.
Two Calgary Flames were in action, as Devin Cooley and Matt Coronato’s Team USA defeated Team Hungary. That win sets up multiple key games on Tuesday, the final day of the preliminary round.
Let’s take a look at what went on in the Americans’ victory, as well as set the table for Tuesday’s six games.

Team USA vs Team Hungary

Only one Flame participated in this game, as Cooley served as the backup netminder. Coronato, on the other hand, got on the score sheet. Midway through the first, Team USA took a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Justin Faulk. In the final two minutes of the opening 20, Coronato picked up an assist on Matthew Tkachuk’s goal.
Team USA’s lead was extended to 3-0 with a goal just two minutes into the second period, courtesy of Ryan Leonard. Then Faulk scored his second of the game, which turned out to be the game-winner.
Midway through the second, the Hungarians finally got on the board, as Csanád Erdély beat Joseph Woll to make it 4-1. But with under two to play in the middle frame, Leonard scored his second of the period to restore Team USA’s four-goal lead.
The Hungarians made a game of it in the third. Just over seven minutes in, Erdély became the third player in the game to score two goals. Then with just under six minutes to play, Gábor Tornyai cut the Americans’ lead to just two.
Team USA put the game away, as Tkachuk buried an empty netter, the former Flames’ second of the game. With just 27 seconds left, Max Plante potted another goal in what was a 7-1 victory.
It wasn’t Coronato’s best game of the tournament, finishing with one shot in his 17 minutes of action. He took 15 draws, winning just six of them (40%), while finishing the game as a -1. With the assist, he now has a goal and an assist through five games, along with a shootout goal.

Other notes…

There are at least two Flames who’ll participate in the playoff round. Thanks to Team Czechia’s loss to Team Norway on Monday, Zach Whitecloud and Team Canada have officially clinched first in Group B. They’ll face Czechia on Tuesday at 12:20 p.m. MT.
The other important Group B game on Tuesday is Martin Pospíšil’s Team Slovakia against Team Sweden. If the Swedes win in regulation, they’ll leapfrog the Slovaks in the standings and finish fourth in the group.  That game starts at 8:20 a.m. MT.
Olli Määttä’s Team Finland cemented their spot in the playoff round, but Tuesday’s game against Team Switzerland (the hosts) will determine if they finish first or second in Group A. Heading into this game, both the Finns and Swiss have a 6-0-0-0, the final two teams with a perfect record. That game starts at 12:20 p.m. MT.
Team USA currently sits on the outside looking in with eight points in six games. Right now, the Austrians hold on to the final playoff spot, but the two teams match up for the final game of the preliminary round on Tuesday, with a start time of 8:20 a.m. MT. A regulation win by the Americans will guarantee them a spot in the playoff round.
It’ll be an exciting finish to a rather exciting preliminary round!
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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