Canada dismantle France as rampant stars send ominous Olympic warning
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid orchestrated a clinical 10-2 demolition of France on Sunday to leave Canada on the brink of securing the top seed for the Olympic knockout rounds.
The tournament favourites concluded their preliminary campaign unbeaten in Milan, outscoring their opponents by 17 goals across just three matches.
This dominant display may have put the number one seed firmly out of reach for their rivals from the United States.
Generational talents shine
Crosby and McDavid each registered a goal and two assists in a performance that was as ruthless as it was businesslike.
The Edmonton Oilers captain has now amassed nine points in his first nine periods of Olympic hockey, leading all scorers in his debut Games.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, Crosby continues to defy his 38 years.
The Pittsburgh Penguins veteran is aiming for a perfect three-for-three record in gold medal pursuits and marshalled the offence with typical poise.
Macklin Celebrini, the roster’s youngest player at just 19, also made his mark with two goals, including a penalty shot and a power-play strike.
Physical dominance proves costly
The victory was not entirely without friction, as the game saw Tom Wilson ejected following a physical altercation.
Wilson, selected by head coach Jon Cooper to provide grit on the top line, fought the French player who had earlier delivered a forearm to Nathan MacKinnon’s face.
Under international rules, fighting results in a game misconduct, ending the Washington Capitals forward’s night early.
Fortunately for the Canadians, MacKinnon was able to return to the ice uninjured.
USA left chasing shadows
Canada’s relentless scoring pace has placed immense pressure on the United States ahead of their Sunday night fixture.
The Americans would need to defeat Germany by a margin of 10 goals or more to overtake their northern neighbours for the top seed.
Anything short of that miracle result would leave the US in second place, setting up a collision course with seventh-seeded Sweden in the quarter-finals.
While Sweden presents a formidable challenge, Canada’s blend of skill, size, and finishing ability suggests they can skate any opponent in Milan out of the building.
Swiss resilience stuns Czechia
In the day’s other significant action, Switzerland rallied around the absence of injured winger Kevin Fiala to edge past Czechia 4-3 in overtime.
The victory secures an easier path to the quarter-finals for the Swiss, who will likely face France or host nation Italy in the qualification playoffs.
Roman Josi opened the scoring by banking the puck off Radko Gudas’ skate.
“We knew it was a big game. Obviously a lot of up and downs in that third period but found a way. It was a huge win against a really good team.”
Roman Josi, Switzerland captain
Former Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Dean Kukan netted the winner in the extra period, capitalizing on defensive space given by Radek Simek.