The United States, after needing overtime to dispatch Kasakhstan on Friday, secured a spot in the quarterfinals today with a big 5-0 win over host Finland. Kari Lehtonen, after starting the tournament so strongly, allowed five goals against the Americans after allowing four goals against Canada in the previous game.
Unfortunately, the risks of playing internationally made themselves well known today. Alex Goligoski took a vicious boarding call dished out by Finland’s Anssi Salmela, although it appears that Goose should be alright — he returned to play the full third period. Be warned — this is one of the worst boarding incidents you’ll see.
The other bad news is that Lehtonen appeared to injure himself late in the game when an American player colliding with him heading into the net. No word yet on the severity of the injury.
In other news:
Jamie Benn and Team Canada crushed Kasakhstan 8-0 on Saturday, with Benn registering two shots on goal and one assist in the game. Benn played with Teddy Purcell and Alex Burrows and appears to continue to play a primarily defensive role for Canada.
Loui Eriksson saw his goal-scoring lead in the tournament disappear, with one assist and two shots as Sweden easily shut down Italy 4-0.
Philip Larsen continues to be the workhorse for the overmatched Denmark team, playing over 27 minutes in a 2-1 loss against Germany.
Richard Bachman was in net against Kasakhstan for Team USA on Friday, although neither goal allowed could really be counted as his fault.