Jet Greaves and Team Canada delivered a commanding performance on Thursday, shutting out the United States 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the IIHF Ice Hockey Men's World Championship in Fribourg, Switzerland. The victory served as a measure of revenge for Canada, which lost to the U.S. in overtime in the gold medal game at the Winter Olympics in Milan three months earlier.
Greaves Shines in Net
Greaves, a goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL, was outstanding, stopping all 34 shots he faced. His most impressive save came late in the third period when he made a blocker save on Matt Coronato after losing his stick, preserving Canada's two-goal lead at the time.
“It’s one of the best rivalries that we have in hockey, and it’s a privilege to be able to play these games against such a good team like that,” Greaves told TSN after the game. “It’s fun to be in these moments and come out on the right side of it.”
Early Injury for Canada
Canada lost defenceman Evan Bouchard early in the first period after he was hit by U.S. defenceman Ryan Lindgren. Lindgren received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head. However, Canada was unable to capitalize on the extended power play.
Scoring Summary
Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring for Canada with a power-play goal in the first period. Dylan Holloway extended the lead in the second period with a goal of his own. In the final two minutes, Connor Brown and Sidney Crosby each scored into an empty U.S. net to seal the 4-0 victory. Crosby's goal was his first of the tournament, adding to his nine assists.
Canada improved to 8-0 in the tournament with the win. Devin Cooley made 34 saves for the United States.
“They were definitely the better team today,” U.S. forward Matthew Tkachuk told TSN. “Their goalie made some incredible saves. They deserved to win.”
What's Next
Canada will await the winner of the other quarterfinal to determine its semifinal opponent on Saturday. In the early quarterfinal on Thursday, Finland defeated Czechia 4-1 to advance.
