Canada vs Slovenia

Canada controlled the opening frame from the drop of the puck, outshooting Slovenia 11-4 in the first 20 minutes. The breakthrough came at 10:53 when defenceman Denton Mateychuk — a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect — joined the rush and buried a feed from Finnie and Fraser Minten to make it 1-0.

Mateychuk's goal was his second of the tournament and rewarded Canada's persistent cycle work in the Slovenian zone. Slovenia goaltender Zan Us kept his side within touching distance with a string of sharp saves, but the Canadians' territorial dominance was unmistakable.

Dylan Cozens extended Canada's advantage 13:14 into the second period, redirecting a crisp pass through traffic past Us. Sidney Crosby drew an assist on the play, the veteran Penguin reading the play beautifully to set up the former seventh overall pick for his fourth goal of the championship.

Slovenia showed brief flashes of resistance — Anze Magovac's slash drew a penalty at 16:39 — but Canada's penalty kill held firm. Jet Greaves was rarely tested but remained sharp when called upon, turning aside all nine Slovenian shots through two periods.

Canada put the game to bed just 5:18 into the third period. Emmitt Finnie — playing in a top-six role that raised eyebrows at the start of the tournament — ripped home his second goal of the Worlds off a feed from Connor Brown. The puck beat Us cleanly glove-side, a release that had been building all afternoon.

Slovenia never stopped competing. With goaltender Zan Us pulled for the extra attacker, Rozle Bohinc finally broke through with 1:05 remaining in regulation, snapping a shot past Greaves to spoil the Canadian netminder's shutout bid. It was a deserved consolation for a Slovenian side that refused to go quietly.

Greaves finished with 13 saves for the win. At the other end, Us was outstanding despite the defeat, stopping 29 of 32 Canadian shots.

The result keeps Canada firmly in control of Pool B with 14 points — four regulation wins and one overtime victory. Second-placed Slovakia trail by three points with the Czech Republic a further point back. Canada wraps up its preliminary round against Slovakia on Sunday followed by a heavyweight clash with Czechia on Tuesday.

Slovenia, now 0-1-1-2 (win-OTW-OTL-loss), sit sixth in the group with four points and face an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals.

Sidney Crosby, at 38, continues to be a force for Canada. While he didn't find the scoresheet beyond his assist, the Pittsburgh Penguins legend was a puck-possession machine all afternoon, winning battles along the boards and drawing defensive attention that created space for Canada's younger forwards. His battle with Slovenia's Miha Bericic along the half-wall in the second period drew particular attention from the Fribourg crowd.

Canada remains the only unbeaten team in Pool B and looks every bit the medal contender the pre-tournament hype suggested. The "unheralded" Finnie has become a key figure in their forward corps, while Mateychuk's emergence from the blue line gives the Canadians an extra dimension in transition.

For Slovenia, the performances have been respectable but points have been hard to come by. Taking Canada to a competitive 3-1 scoreline — and breaking Greaves' shutout in the dying seconds — provides a small but meaningful boost heading into their final group games.

Canada has now won all five competitive meetings between the two nations, stretching back to their first encounter at the 2008 World Championship. The Maple Leafs have outscored Slovenia 25-8 across those fixtures, with Friday's result adding another chapter to a one-sided but increasingly competitive rivalry.