OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — Thursday’s quarter-final didn’t exactly start off on the right Foote for Team Canada.
Sniper Nolan Foote was ejected 53 seconds in, booked for a five-minute major and game misconduct for an egregiously incorrect head contact call.
Good thing Foote’s all-world hands and NHL-quality shot weren’t needed.
Team Canada could’ve sent Slovakia packing playing with their sticks upside down.
Captain Barrett Hayton scored just 54 seconds after Team Canada patiently killed off Foote’s five-minute major, officially putting Canada in control of a contest that never really seemed in doubt.
They poured it on with four goals in the second period, including one from Alexis Lafreniere, who returned for the first time since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 28, en route to a 6-1 victory that ended Slovakia’s tournament.
Team Canada will be playing for a medal for the first time in two years at the World Junior Championship. Last year’s squad was bounced in the quarter-final round on home soil in Vancouver.
Canada’s path to gold is not yet clear.
For the first time, the World Junior Championship is re-seeding for the semifinal. By virtue of winning Group B in the preliminary round, Canada is the second seed for the medal round.
If top seed Sweden knocks off the host Czech Republic (8th), Team Canada will face the winner of the Team USA (4th) – Team Finland (5th) quarter-final in the semis on Saturday.
That either means a grudge match against the Americans, who both held and then erased two-goal leads against Canada on Boxing Day to open the tournament, or the Finnish team that knocked Canada out of the tournament last season on their way to gold.
It may not have been flashy, but Team Canada improved to 13-0-1 all-time over Slovakia with a methodical, check-the-boxes victory.
Projected No. 1 overall NHL pick Lafreniere playing at full strength? Check. Lafreniere was lethal with a goal and an assist.
Another quality start from Joel Hofer? Check. Hofer was minutes away from dealing Slovakia their fourth shutout in their last five games against Canada.
Even-strength dominance? Check. Canada controlled the puck possession game and their first four goals of the afternoon came at five-on-five, with Hayton, Connor McMichael, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Liam Foudy doing the damage.
Solid penalty kill performance? Check. The bulk of Slovakia’s seven first-period shots came on that five-minute power play to open the contest. But Canada only allowed one real quality chance over the whole five minutes, a 2-on-1 that Hofer turned aside with a right pad save that kicked out the puck like a pinball flipper.
Defence activation in the offence? Check. After Canada’s defence generated just one point over the first two games of the tournament, the D has now accounted for 16 points over the last five games. Calen Addison and 17-year-old Jamie Drysdale added two points apiece on Thursday.
The only box remaining to be checked is Foote’s availability for Saturday’s semifinal.
That shouldn’t be an issue, but then again, Joe Veleno was suspended for one game for a head-butt that would’ve been considered a kiss in coach Dale Hunter’s era in the NHL.
Short of that, Canada appears to be clicking on all cylinders heading into the final four.
Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli
