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World Championships Recap Day 2: Team Canada moves to 2-0 with 6-0 win over Team Italy
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 17, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: May 16, 2026, 21:44 EDT
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Day 2 of the 2026 IIHF World Championship has concluded for Calgary Flame players participating in the tournament.
Three of the five players at the tournament were in action on Saturday afternoon, with all three of their teams winning. The two players off, Devin Cooley and Matt Coronato, will be back in action on Sunday.
Let’s see how the three Flames in action did, as well as look at the other scores and set up Sunday’s games.

Team Canada vs Team Italy

After defeating Team Sweden 5-3 on Friday, Zach Whitecloud and Team Canada were back in action on Saturday. Facing one of the weaker teams in their group, Team Italy, the Canadians dispelled the European team quite easily in what was a comfortable 6-0 victory.
Midway through the first period, Dylan Holloway scored his second of the tournament. Less than a minute later, Fraser Minten made it 2-0, then captain Macklin Celebrini scored with about three minutes remaining in the first to put the Canadians up 3-0 after 20.
Just two minutes into the second, Celebrini scored to give the Canadians a 4-0 lead. It stood that way until near the end of the second period, as Evan Bouchard and Ryan O’Reilly scored in the final two minutes of the period.
There was no scoring in the third, as the Canadians have now out-scored opponents 11-3 over their first two games. As for Whitecloud, he played 17:23, notching five shots, tied for the most in the game. Whitecloud and Denton Mateychuk were the lone Canadian defencemen with an even in terms of plus/minus.

Team Slovakia vs Team Norway

Martin Pospíšil and Team Slovakia began their tournament in the early game on Saturday, defeating Team Norway by a score of 2-1. Eight minutes into the game, a Slovak with the last name “Pospíšil” opened the scoring, but it happened to be Martin’s brother Kristián. However, Martin picked up an assist.
Late in the second, Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Tinus Luc Koblar tied it for the Norwegians, but Marek Hrivík scored eight minutes into the third, which turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Pospíšil had one assist, but took 24 of the 46 face-offs in this game, winning 14 of them for a 58.33 faceoff percentage. Additionally, Pospíšil played 15:42 minutes, fifth-most among forwards for Team Slovakia.

Team Finland vs Team Hungary

Finally, Oli Määttä and Team Finland took on Team Hungary, defeating the Eastern European team 4-1. There was no scoring after 20, but just 46 seconds in, Ville Heinola opened the scoring for the Finns. Less than three minutes later, Jesse Puljujärvi scored his second of the tournament.
Seven minutes into the second, Hungarian forward Balázs Sebők scored their lone goal, cutting Team Finland’s lead in half. But with four minutes left in the second, Janne Kuokkanen restored the Finns’ two-goal lead. For good measure, Puljujärvi scored his second of the game early in the third period in the victory.
The Flames defenceman amassed a total of 15:27 minutes on the ice, registering three shots. He was also an even in terms of plus/minus.

Other notes…

In Group A’s early game, Team Austria defeated Team Great Britain 5-2. There were also two afternoon games (or evening games in Swiss time), as hosts Team Switzerland defeated Team Latvia 4-1. The first real upset of the tournament saw Team Czechia fall to an Anže Kopitar-less Team Slovenia, falling 3-2 in overtime. Former Flame Roman Červenka was held off the scoresheet.
Devin Cooley and Matt Coronato are back in action for Team USA on Sunday morning, taking on Team Great Britain at 4:20 a.m. MT. Team Slovakia’s game against Team Italy has the same start time. Both Team Canada and Team Finland are off until Monday.
The two morning games see Team Hungary playing Team Austria in Group A action, while Team Sweden takes on Team Denmark in Group B action. Both games start at 8:20 a.m. MT. The late games see Team Germany play Team Latvia in Group A action, while Team Slovenia plays Team Norway in Group B action, with the pair of games starting at 12:20 p.m. MT.
Team Canada, Team Canada, and Team USA are in action on Monday, with the Americans taking on Team Finland, and the Canadians taking on Team Denmark. Both games start at 8:20 a.m. MT.
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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