BUFFALO, N.Y. – Canada enters its final preliminary-round game at the world junior championship with a chance to secure first place in its group, but faces a far inferior opponent in Denmark.
A regulation win is the objective, so it’s the former variable and not the latter that’s of primarily concern.
“We want to be as good as we can be, whoever we play,” coach Dominique Ducharme said.
Canada’s final robin-robin game is usually reserved for a hockey power like Russia or Sweden. A New Year’s Eve game against the United States is the traditional matchup.
But with USA Hockey getting permission from the IIHF to rejig the groups so Canada and the United States would be outdoor opponents, the Canadians are left to play Denmark to wrap up the prelims. The Danes have allowed 13 goals and scored just once in two losses. They’re likely headed for the relegation round.
“There’s still things that you control. We don’t control the opponent. We control what we do. That’s what we’re focusing on,” Ducharme said.
“Our guys understand. They’re smart kids. What we talk about and what we want to do as a group, they get it.”
Prime talking points for Canada, according to Ducharme, have been discipline and puck management.
Canada took six minor penalties against the United States in Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss. The Americans scored twice with the man advantage – including once while playing with two extra skaters – in the comeback victory.
Canada also scored twice on the power play, but only had three chances.
“They were not lazy penalties,” Ducharme said. “They were just bad management, intensity, the way we used our stick puts us in trouble. You don’t get a cross-checking penalty if you get stick on puck. You don’t get a tripping penalty by (winger Maxime) Comtois in the first period where he’s behind the guy and he’s trying to get in front if he’s coming stick on puck.
“It’s about managing those moments where we want to be hard, but we want to be in control. It starts with the way we use our stick. We’ve been taking about that, but we’ll be better.”
Ducharme noted his team is still learning. He reiterated the same message he had after Friday’s loss: Getting to extra time wasn’t as costly as it could have been because it allowed them to be in position to secure first place in the pool. That seeding would give Canada a date with a second-tier team (probably Switzerland) in the quarter-final rather than a tougher matchup.
Ducharme was pleased with the way his team closed out Finland in the third period of its opening game, but the opposite was the case against the Americans.
So, despite a matchup against Denmark the Canadians all but guaranteed to win, it’s how they do it that’s important.
“We wanted to use the first part of the tournament to build momentum, to learn, to see what it takes to win at that level,” Ducharme said. “I think we’re doing that.”
HART IN NET
Goaltender Carter Hart will start for Canada on back-to-back nights to close out the preliminary round against Denmark, Ducharme said.
His reasoning was two-fold. Friday’s afternoon start time gives more than 24 hours of rest between games and there are two off-days before the quarter-finals begin on Tuesday.
Hart has a 2.88 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in two starts and was Canada’s player of the game against the Americans after making 32 saves. Expect him to protect the Canadian crease the rest of the way.
“Not only for coaches, but I think for his teammates, he brings confidence,” Ducharme said. “We know how important in a tournament like this and in a playoff round for a team making a run to be having a sharp goalie like him.”
