After arguably the worst defeat in the team’s history at the world juniors and the loss of its top player, Alexis Lafreniere, two days prior, it would be understandable if Canada looked shellshocked against an upstart German team.
But that wasn’t the case on Monday.
Canada came out firing, opening the scoring for the first time during its three games at the tournament and holding on for a 4-1 victory thanks to some great goaltending.
The win bumps Canada’s record to 2-0-0-1 as it battles for supremacy in Group B.
Here are some takeaways from the bounce-back win for Canada:
Hofer holds down fort
Joel Hofer (St. Louis Blues) wasn’t exactly given an easy assignment in his first appearance for Canada in last Saturday’s 6-0 blowout to Russia.
The 2018 fourth-round pick gave up two goals on 22 shots in relief for Nicolas Daws, who gave up eight goals and sports a .840 save percentage across two games.
But in his first start for Canada at any level on Monday, Hofer staked his claim for the starting gig, stopping 21-of-22 shots.
The 19-year-old from Winnipeg stepped up, in particular, during a shaky defensive second period for Canada.
After Liam Foudy (Columbus Blue Jackets) took a questionable tripping call nearly seven minutes into the frame, Hofer made a huge post-to-post save to rob German winger Yannik Valenti. Then, with a second left on the power play, Hofer stopped Valenti again on a break.
But Hofer’s best effort came close to eight minutes in, when Canadian defenceman Jared McIsaac (Detroit Red Wings) broke his stick at the point in Germany’s zone, springing John-Jason Peterka for a clean breakaway. But the Canadian netminder stoned the potential high pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
It provided a massive momentum swing for Canada, as it stretched its lead to 2-0 shortly after.
He was named Canada’s player of the game, with his lone goal against coming on a late 5-on-3 power play for Germany.
Hofer, who stands six-foot-five and weighs 172 pounds, has a 1.81 goals-against average and .937 save percentage — which is second to only Team U.S. goalie Dustin Wolf — in 27 games for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
Offence plugs holes
Despite missing two-thirds of its top line, Canada found a way to generate enough offence to beat the Germans.
Nolan Foote’s (Tampa Bay Lightning) second goal of the tournament at 11:50 of the first period was a much-needed reminder that it still boasts plenty of weapons.
The 2019 first-round pick (27th overall) capitalized on a point shot by Kevin Bahl that appeared to hit a defender and was loose in the slot for the taking.
But it was Foudy’s marker at 12:24 of the second frame, after a series of great saves by Hofer, that restored Canada’s confidence and put it in control.
The 2018 first-rounder (18th overall) — who looked spritely all game and showed plenty of battle, finishing with two points — got possession of the puck at the left point, walked in and sniped it home blocker-side on Hendrik Hane.
Calen Addison (Pittsburgh Penguins) extended the lead to 3-0 at 14:01 of the second on an unchallenged slapper from the point during a 5-on-3 power play.
Ty Dellandrea added an empty-netter, assisted by Foudy, at 19:50 of the third period.
While Canada’s offensive performance sans Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings) and Lafreniere was promising and gave the club some much-needed confidence, reinforcements could be on the horizon.
Veleno, who was suspended one game for a head-butt in the loss to Russia, is slated to return vs. the Czech’s on Tuesday, and Lafreniere’s injury may not be as bad as initially feared.
The projected top pick in the 2020 NHL Draft — who crumpled to the ice and left the game in agony after hurting his left knee after an awkward fall on Saturday — hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the tournament and an MRI showed no fracture or structural damage to ligaments.
Strong penalty kill again
It was another strong game for Canada’s penalty killers, who mostly held a potent German power play in check.
Heading into the game, Germany was 5-for-11 on the power play and had scored all but two of its seven total goals with the man-advantage.
This was the second outing in a row that Canada looked locked in on the PK. The lone bright spot in Canada’s historic loss Saturday was the fact that it held Russia off the board during four power plays.
On Monday, Canada was 1-for-5 on the penalty kill, succumbing during a 5-on-3 after back-to-back German power plays at the end of the third period. German forward Tim Stutzle, who is projected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, fed Valenti for a one-time goal just outside the right faceoff circle at 18:53.
Canada has looked much improved short-handed after giving up three goals in five chances during its tournament-opening 6-4 win over the U.S.
