Canada sails past Russia to open world juniors with 5-3 win
Posted Dec 27, 2016 06:17:24 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Canada scored three power-play goals, including a pair by captain Dylan Strome, to open the preliminary round of the world junior hockey championship with a hearty 5-3 victory over Russia.
It was a strong start against a tough opponent for Canada, which has been shut out of the medals at three of the past four world junior tournaments. The Canadians dropped their tournament-opening game to the Americans last year, eventually finishing sixth in Finland in their worst showing in almost 20 years.
Tyson Jost, Nicolas Roy and Matt Barzal also found the back of the net for the Canadians, with Carter Hart yielding three goals on 17 shots in the win.
Canada started fast, bursting out of the gate at Air Canada Centre with speed and energy. The Canadians outshot the Russians 7-1 over the first seven minutes or so of regulation, Jost getting on the board after three minutes ticked by.
Speeding down the right side, the St. Albert, Alta., native was fed cross-ice by defenceman Philippe Myers, Jost lifting a nifty backhand over the glove of Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals’ top pick in 2015.
Canada continued to attack the Russians with good pace, forcing turnovers and creating scoring opportunities. At one point Jost picked the puck free from Yegor Rykov in the corner, leading to a pair of scoring chances for the Canadians.
