The road to gold, to back-to-back gold, continues Monday for Canada, and a familiar foe will be across the ice — historically and in recent memory.
Just 364 days ago, Canada and Russia faced off for gold in the Czech Republic, with the Canadians mounting a ferocious three-goal comeback late in the third period to win 4-3 and capture the country’s 18th top prize. Now, the duo will meet in the semifinals of the 2021 edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
Six players return from Canada’s 2020 gold-medal winning squad (Quinton Byfield, Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, Jamie Drysdale, Connor McMichael and Dawson Mercer); Russia brings back three from its silver-medal team (Yaroslav Askarov, Vasily Podkolzin and Maxim Groshev). This year’s head coaches — Igor Larionov, aka “The Professor,” and Andre Tourigny — were at Ostravar Arena last year as assistants.
With a high number of returnees, will there also be emotional carryover?
“One hundred percent I think there will be carryover,” Drysdale said matter-of-factly. “We played each other in the finals last year, so, obviously, we want to maintain where we’re at and we obviously want to come out on top. But in saying that, obviously feel like they’re going to have something to prove because . . . It should be a really exciting, hard-fought game.”
Tourigny is just looking straight ahead.
“I think it’s enough there, we don’t have to add anything. The history between Canada and Russia, it’s well-documented and everybody knows how big of a game that will be and there’s nothing bigger than that at this point. . . . I think it will be a great game,” he said.
The history between these two countries does run deep at the World Juniors. In the last 28 years, since the Soviet Union dissolved, they’ve faced each other 27 times, with Canada holding a 14-12-1 edge. Its overall advantage is 20-19-2 when taking into account the Soviet Union years. These two teams also met in last year’s preliminary round, where the Russians handed the Canadiens their worst loss in tourney history.
“They’re going to be coming out for revenge this year and we’re going to be up for the task,” McMichael said Sunday. “It’s such a long rivalry between the two of the teams and we’re excited for it and we just can’t wait to get going [Monday].”
Both teams sport players who can bury the puck — Cozens leads the tournament with seven goals and is second to Trevor Zegras of the USA with 13 points. While the Canadians have spread out their scoring across all four lines — every skater has at least a point — the Russians rely heavily on their top six, which includes team points leader and Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov (six).
The teams also sport two highly skilled netminders. Canada’s Devon Levi, the best goalie in the tournament statistically, has allowed just three goals on 90 shots, with all three goals happening when his squad was short-handed. Askarov, who surprisingly did not start the gold-medal game last year, has stopped 101 of 110 shots.
The Canadians have noticed a difference between this year’s crop of Russian players and last year’s squad — as if the cerebral style of Larionov, a Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup winner, has rubbed off on his young charges.
“I’ve noticed they’re more patient with the puck,” said Drysdale, who scored the lone goal in these teams’ exhibition — but not against Askarov. “A lot of regroups, not throwing the puck away, things like that. Not afraid to just take it out of our offensive zone to regroup in the neutral zone.”
“Day and night. It’s totally different style, different philosophy, different objective in their game,” Tourigny noted. “They like to possess the puck, they regroup a lot, they have a good stretch on their breakout. . . . They’re still really stingy defensively, they still defend really well. They are strong on pucks, they’re fast. They’re a good team.”
Alex Newhook’s status for the game is unknown. Listed as day to day by Tourigny on Sunday, the Newfoundland native missed the quarterfinals with an upper-body injury. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Monday that Newhook is a game-time decision. His addition to the lineup would be an offensive boost.
His buddies are ready to face their toughest challenge of the tournament, and with a spot in the ultimate game on the line.
“We all know what’s at stake [Monday], we’re all excited,” McMichael said. “You just got to keep control of your nerves. . . . I think if we do that and stick to our systems, we’ll be fine. You just don’t want to overthink about it too much.”
Sporting News has all the action as Canada and Russia go toe-to-toe for a spot in the gold-medal game.
Canada vs. Russia scores, highlights from 2021 World Juniors semifinals
(All times Eastern)
Third period
7:57 p.m. — Final frame. Just twenty minutes standing in Canada’s way of another chance at gold.
Second period: Canada 4, Russia 0
7:37 p.m. — Great stop by Askarov with the toe. Wow.
7:37 p.m. — Lots of action. After a turnover in the neutral zone, Dylan Cozens breaks in but gets a hook on the hand — and Askarov made a good stop — so he is awarded a penalty shot.
7:35 p.m. — Power play ends for Russia. They had five shots on net and one disallowed goal.
7:35 p.m. — Something happened to Podkolzin and he is shaken up at the bench.
7:32 p.m. — Play was offside. No goal. Time put back on the clock, so Russia now has 1:35 left on the power play. Canada leads 4-0.
7:30 p.m. — Hold on. Canada challenging an offside call that happened like a million years ago. Looks like the attacker may have had his skate off the ice and not have possession as he was crossing the line.
7:29 p.m. — PP GOAL. Shot from the point gets blocked but goes straight to Abramov, who buries it into the empty net. Canada leads 4-1.
7:28 p.m. — Devon Levi with two big saves, and then it looks as if it was Jakob Pelletier who knocked the puck away to prevent what would have been a sure goal.
7:27 p.m. — Canada is short-handed as McMichael gets called for tripping.
7:21 p.m. — Devon Levi making a few stops with the paddle on a scramble in front. He has faced 11 shots thus far and turned them all aside.
7:14 p.m. — HAHA. They just played the 2020 penalty song. Memories.
7:14 p.m. — Canada heads back to the power play. Canada 1 for 2 already in the game.
7:11 p.m. — Ryan Suzuki rips it off the pipe.
7:05 p.m. — GOAL. Askarov again loses his stick — what, is that the third time tonight? — and Braden Schneider gets the puck at the point. The Rangers prospect rips it home. Canada is in control of this one. Canada leads 4-0.
7 p.m. — Second period is a go. Dylan Cozens notched assists on the last two goals and is now tied with American Trevor Zegras for the tournament lead with 15 points. He’s also now tied with Jason Allison for fifth all time for Canada at the WJC.
First period: Canada 3, Russia 0
6:45 p.m. — Solid first period from the Canadians.
6:34 p.m. — PP GOAL. Just seconds into the second two, Cole Perfetti, the Jets prospect, gets the puck just below the blue line, skates into the circle and rips it past Askarov’s glove. Canada leads 3-0.
6:33 p.m. — First two minutes over and nada.
6:30 p.m. — Podkolzin called for a four-minute high-sticking penalty as Bowen Byram gets some fixing on the bench. Canada’s power play has been meh, however; the team hasn’t scored one on the man advantage in the last two games (0 for 6). Russia, by the way, is 16 for 17 in the tournament on the penalty kill.
6:28 p.m. — Thirteen minutes and change into the period and Canada is outshooting Russia 11-4
6:25 p.m. — GOAL. Canada pads its lead. Jakob Pelletier, playing on that top line, feeds Connor McMichael, who knocks the puck into the empty net. They had a good chance earlier in the shift and then connected while Askarov was playing with a teammate’s stick as his goalie stick was lost along the way. Canada leads 2-0.
6:24 p.m. — Great defensive play by Kaiden Guhle in his own end as he steps up and breaks up the Russian rush in the circle after a drop pass.
6:21 p.m. — Another stop by Levi off the rush on a shot by Yegor Chinakhov (Blue Jackets).
6:20 p.m. — Russia’s top line gets some pressure and Levi has to make a good stop. Podkolzin (Canucks) smacks one off the outside, too.
6:13 p.m. — Dylan Holloway’s backhander has Askarov looking behind him. The Predators prospect is looking a little shaky off the top.
6:11 p.m. — GOAL! Hold on. That Newhook shot that went off the pipe — it dinged the back pipe in the net! Just 59 seconds in, he gives the Canadians the lead. Canada leads 1-0.
6:10 p.m. — Hmmm. Interesting. Horn in the building sounds while play is going on.
6:10 p.m. — Welcome back, Alex Newhook. He rings one off the post during a strong shift where he was a force on the forecheck.
6:09 p.m. — Puck has been dropped. Slightly disappointed in the referee — “Nothing to say about this one.” Sigh. A little bit more oomph would have been nice.
Pregame
5:55 p.m. — Newhook took line rushes.
5:14 p.m. — Lines are here.
2:18 p.m. — Alexis Lafreniere is keeping an eye on things, too.
2 p.m. — Hmmm, I wonder who Sidney Crosby is rooting for.
World Juniors 2021: Latest news
Tournament
- Time, TV channel, live stream, where, when, schedule
- How has COVID-19 impacted the tournament?
- Rosters, NHL draft status, jersey numbers for all 10 teams
- Breakdown of every NHL teams’ prospects
- Predictions: Hockey experts pick who will win gold
- It’s gold or bust’: NHL players look back on World Junior Championship memories
- A team-by-team guide to the under-20 championship
- Dach, Caufield and the top four storylines
- Oilers’ Philip Broberg impresses with three assists for Sweden
- Senators’ Tim Stuetzle scores two goals in Germany’s overtime win
- Predictions, odds, X-factors, breakdowns for quarterfinal matchups
- Leafs prospect Roni Hirvonen sends Finland to semis with late goal
- Predictions, odds, X-factors, breakdowns for semifinal matchups
USA
Canada
Source: – Sporting News
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