Day 2 results
Finland 7, Austria 1
Russia 4, Switzerland 2
Germany 2, Czechia 1 (OT)
Sweden 3, Slovakia 0
What We Learned on Day 2
Wallstedt feeling confident
Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) turned in a performance for the ages with 48 saves for Sweden (2-0-0-0) in a 3-0 win against Slovakia at WP Centrium in Red Deer.
Wallstedt, selected No. 20 in the 2021 NHL Draft, is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .961 save percentage in two games for Sweden.
“If we’re going to have a shot at this, he has to be an important component for us and he really showed that [against Slovakia],” Sweden coach Tomas Monten said.
Wallstedt is 9-8-0 with a 1.82 GAA, .923 save percentage and two shutouts in 17 games with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional men’s league in Sweden.
He said off-ice training has helped improve his overall game.
“I credit my quick feet and my conditioning,” Wallstedt said. “It didn’t look like that at the end of the game because I was a little tired, but I felt like I had more in me. I felt like I was in good position when the shots were about to come.”
Wallstedt said he’s been in close contact with the Wild in regard to his future.
“We’ve spoken about my game and what it takes to develop into an NHL goalie one day,” he said. “My biggest focus is what I can do in Lulea right now, how to be a better goalie, a better player and better human every day. We’ll see after the season what happens, but right now my priorities are Lulea and Team Sweden.”
Finland’s dynamic trio
The line of Samuel Helenius (Los Angeles Kings) centering left wing Ville Koivunen (Carolina Hurricanes) and Brad Lambert (2022 NHL Draft eligible) has combined for 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in two wins for Finland.
“They have a good relationship, and they are good hockey players,” Finland coach Antti Pennanen said. “Brad Lambert is skillful and fast, Helenius wins the battles and Koivunen has good hockey sense, so it’s a really good combination.”
Koivunen had two goals and an assist in a 7-1 win against Austria in Group A at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Monday. Lambert, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting’s players to watch list and a projected first-round pick, had a goal and two assists. Helenius had a goal and an assist.
Lambert and Helenius are teammates with JYP in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. Koivunen plays for Karpat in Liiga.
“Brad is very good with the puck and very good skating and Helenius is very big (6-foot-6, 201 pounds) and good at defending so I think we complement each other very good,” Koivunen said.
Goalie dilemma for Russia
Russia was not ready to reveal a starting goalie against Slovakia on Wednesday following a 4-2 win against Switzerland at WP Centrium in Red Deer on Monday.
Yegor Guskov (2022 draft eligible), who is making his World Juniors debut, made 16 saves for Russia (1-0-0-1) in its first win of the tournament. The 19-year-old made five saves in relief of Iaroslav Askarov (Nashville Predators), who made 13 saves on 16 shots in two periods, in a 6-3 loss against Sweden on Sunday.
“Guskov played a strong game but there were periods where he didn’t have a shot on net for five to 10 minutes and it was tough for him,” Russia coach Sergei Zubov said. “We appreciate his effort. He played a strong game for us.”
Guskov has a 3.05 goals-against average and .840 save percentage in two games for Russia.
“[Askarov] had a strong period but he could have played a little bit better on the third goal [against Sweden] so we decided to regroup, and we’ll make a decision for next game later on,” Zubov said.
Askarov, the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is representing Russia a third straight year at World Juniors. He had a 2.71 GAA and .877 save percentage in five games at the 2020 WJC, and a 2.50 GAA and .914 save percentage in six games at the 2021 WJC.
On tap for Day 3
All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN and RDS in Canada
Austria vs. Canada (7 p.m. ET) — What will defenseman Owen Power, the No. 1 pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, do for an encore? On Sunday, he became the first Canada defenseman to score three goals in a game at the World Juniors in a 6-3 win against Czechia at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Austria (0-0-0-1) lost 7-1 to Finland in its tournament opener Monday, using a lineup featuring nine defensemen and 11 forwards.
Switzerland vs. United States, canceled — The game was canceled because of COVID-19 issues affecting the United States. According to IIHF policy, the game will be recorded as a 1-0 Switzerland victory.
Quick links
World Junior Championship predictions
Group A preview
Group B preview
World Junior Championship rosters
Tournament schedule
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