The World Cup of Hockey officially got under way this weekend, with two games on Saturday, and two more on Sunday. All of the nations were in action, meaning all six members of the Colorado Avalanche contingent saw the ice (or at least the bench).
In Saturday’s first contest, Team USA was shutout by Team Europe, falling 3-0. Defenseman Erik Johnson saw just 13:40 of action, finishing with a minus-1 rating and one hit.
Later that night, Canada had their way with the Czech Republic, defeating them 6-0. Several players got on the scoresheet for the host nation, including Matt Duchene, who finished the contest with one assist and two penalty minutes.
Sunday’s slate started with Sweden taking on Russia. Both Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Landeskog finished with a minus-1 rating in the 2-1 win for the Tre Kroner, though the latter did manage a powerplay tally to open the scoring for the Swedes on a nice one-timer. Semyon Varlamov served as the backup goaltender for Russia, and did not play.
In the final game, Team North America skated over Finland, winning 4-0. Nathan MacKinnon continued to fly all over the ice, chipping in with a goal.
The round-robin action will continue today, as Team Europe takes on the Czech Republic and Russia faces Team North America.