Nathan MacKinnon and Team Canada ready to take on Slovakia at the World Championships

Canada improved to 4-0 with a 5-1 victory over Austria on Thursday. Although Austria scored first, Canada quickly answered with five straight goals.

Nathan MacKinnon contributed two goals and one assist, while Travis Konecny and Will Cuylle each recorded a goal and an assist. Sidney Crosby also scored, Brandon Montour assisted on three goals, and Marc-André Fleury made 15 saves in his second start.

Slovakia secured its second win on Wednesday by defeating France 2-1. Martin Chromiak put Slovakia ahead midway through the second period, and Mislav Rosandic scored the game-winning power-play goal in the final period. Samuel Hlavaj made 19 saves to earn the victory.

A year ago, Canada and Slovakia met in the quarterfinals, with Canada coming out on top in a 6-3 victory. The Canadians got off to a fast start, as Jared McCann and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored within the first five minutes. Nick Paul added two goals, including an empty-netter, while Dylan Guenther and Brandon Tanev also scored. Jordan Binnington made 18 saves to secure the win.

Special teams have made a significant impact for Canada in their first four games, successfully killing all nine opponent power plays without allowing a single goal while shorthanded.

Slovakia has reached the quarterfinals in three of the past four Men's World Championships. Since 2024, Canada has won the last six matchups against Slovakia and holds a 14-4 record in their 18 all-time meetings dating back to 1996, when Slovakia rejoined the Top Division following the breakup of Czechoslovakia.

Puck drop is set for 2:20pm ET from Stockholm, Sweden.

Source:
Hockey Canada
Men's Worlds Preview: Canada vs. Slovakia