Denmark stuns Canada at worlds, Nylander's Swedes top Kampf's Czechs
Woe Canada, make that two huge maple leaf letdowns in five days.
Article content
Article content
After Toronto's playoff-cursed NHL entry dropped another Great White North entry from the Stanley Cup tournament, star-studded Team Canada was stunned 2-1 by underdog Denmark Thursday, eliminated in the quarterfinal stage of the world men's hockey championship.
Article content
A group that included Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby couldn't click on four power-play chances through the game. When Travis Sanheim did score, the Danes didn't fold, while Nicolaj Ehlers and Nick Olesen scored in the final 2:17, Olesen in the final minute on Jordan Binnington. That sent the arena in Herning, Denmark, into a frenzy and a lusty version of the national anthem followed.
Article content
Frederik Dichow made 38 saves for Denmark, which will meet Switzerland in one semifinal, while the United States takes on Sweden. Canada had played all its games in co-host Stockholm and clearly struggled on the unfamiliar ice of a converted convention centre where Denmark had been for a couple of weeks.
Article content
Canada lost in the quarterfinals at this event for the first time in 10 tries going back to 2015.
Article content
'They had us on our heels and we didn't respond the right way,' Canadian forward Ryan O'Reilly told TSN. 'Tough for us travelling here on a back-to-back (after facing Sweden in Stockholm) and we didn't have our normal jump. But we had a chance to win.
Article content
'We have guys like Flower here (retiring alternate goalie Marc-Andre Fleury) and we wanted to win it for him. We let them hang around. You put this jersey on, you expect to win. No one feels good now.'
Article content
It's a top-four finish for the first time in Denmark's history, but to claim a medal, the team will have to win at least one game in Stockholm on the weekend.
Article content
Article content
'Just disappointing, we had a great group here,' Crosby said. 'We had all the things to make a deeper run.'
Article content
The Canadian management group was headed by former Leaf-turned-Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
Article content
Article content
WILLY WIN A MEDAL?
Article content
In the end it was William Nylander, not Maple Leafs teammate David Kampf, who was rewarded for a long haul flight to Europe to play for his country at the worlds.
Article content
Nylander didn't score in Sweden's 5-2 quarterfinal win Thursday over defending champion Czechia, but wasn't needed in that regard and gets to play again. Kampf, who was itching to keep going after being used in just one playoff game by Toronto, saw some rare power play action Thursday.
Article content
Lucas Raymond scored twice for the Swedes, and former Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin had two assists. Nylander was placed right on the first line with centre William Karlsson and Raymond.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Storm beat Dream at Vancouver's Rogers Arena in first WNBA regular-season game on Canadian soil
Social Sharing Skylar Diggins had 21 points and 11 assists and the Seattle Storm hung on to beat the Atlanta Dream 80-78 to end a six-game skid on Friday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver in the first Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) regular-season game outside of the United States. Nneka Ogwumike scored 15 points, Brittney Sykes added 13 and Dominique Malonga had 12 points and eight rebounds as the Storm (17-17) squandered a 15-point lead before snapping Atlanta's six-game win streak. Rhyne Howard scored 21 points and Brionna Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta (21-12). The game, held in a city that has neither a WNBA or NBA team of its own, had created a buzz of anticipation in Vancouver. WATCH | Storm beat Dream in 1st regular-season WNBA game in Canada: Storm edge Dream in 1st regular-season WNBA game in Canada 1 hour ago The Storm led 60-45 with 3:25 left in the third quarter. Erica Wheeler, with a second left in the quarter, threw an inbounds pass to Diggins for a 3-pointer as time expired to give the Storm a 67-55 lead. But Seattle went scoreless for nearly five minutes to open the fourth and Nia Coffey made a layup that gave Atlanta a 71-69 lead with 4:21 to play. Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to break the Dream's career record for made 3s with 326. Tiffany Hayes (325) previously held the record. The Dream, who went into the game averaging 9.6 made 3s per game, hit 2 of 13 from behind the arc. Jordin Canada (hamstring) did not play for Atlanta. Howard scored 25 points Wednesday to help the Dream beat the Storm 85-75 in Seattle. The Storm concludes a three-game home stand Sunday against Phoenix. The Dream play at Golden State on Sunday.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Storm edge Dream in 1st regular-season WNBA game in Canada
Seattle Storm beats Atlanta Dream 80-78 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, the first regular-season WNBA game to be played outside of the United States.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Alejandro Kirk's heroics lead Blue Jays to 6-5 comeback win over Texas Rangers
Alejandro Kirk followed a two-run homer in the seventh inning with a game-winning two-run single in the eighth to push the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-5 comeback win in the series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday. Kirk's single with the bases loaded allowed the Blue Jays (72-51) to overcome a three-run deficit. Before Kirk's deciding at-bat, Texas reliever Phil Matton (2-5) walked Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded to pull the home team within two runs before 42,260 at Rogers Centre. Kirk and Rangers infielder Marcus Semien traded two-run homers in the bottom of the seventh and top of the eighth. Reliever Louis Varland (4-3) registered the win with Jeff Hoffman notching his 28th save. Jacob deGrom pitched five shutout innings, allowing only two hits with no walks and five strikeouts as the Rangers' (61-62) losing streak was extended to three games. Kyle Higashioka hammered a three-run homer in the second inning. The three-run blow was one of only four hits off Toronto starter Chris Bassitt, who lasted five innings on 100 pitches and matched a season-high four walks with four strikeouts. Blue Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes made a pair of defensive gems early. With his back against the wall, he jumped to take an extra base hit away from Joc Pederson in the first inning. In the second inning, Lukes fielded Evan Carter's rocket off the wall and caught the Rangers outfielder at second. Rangers: They began the day 3½ games back of the final American League wild-card spot. Blue Jays: George Springer homered in the second of his three at-bats in his rehab start for triple-A Buffalo on Friday. Shane Bieber pitched seven shutout innings in Buffalo, striking out four with six hits and no walks on 90 pitches. Springer is expected to rejoin Toronto on Saturday, and Bieber could make his Blue Jays debut next week. Key moment: Kirk's bases-loaded single in the eighth inning scored the tying and go-ahead runs. Key stat: Bassitt still hasn't suffered a loss at home in 2025, going 8-0 with six no decisions. Up next: Lefty Eric Lauer (7-2) will face Texas southpaw Patrick Corbin (6-8) in the middle outing of the three-game set on Saturday.
