Canada thrash Italy as Finland make it two wins from two

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/finland/rRWMzYQu/"]Finland[/a] also made it two from two on the second day of competition thanks to a 4-1 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hungary/fBiWomPG/"]Hungary[/a].[/p][p]Elsewhere in the opening games across Switzerland, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/xWM7kVPi/"]Austria[/a] dispatched [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/great-britain/C2UJnT9A/"]Great Britain[/a] 5-2 in Group A, thanks, in part, to a lightning start.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slovakia/ruzLVmAN/"]Slovakia[/a] needed a late goal from Marek Hrivik to get their campaign off to the perfect start with a 2-1 victory over a stubborn [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/nDtCX9uB/"]Norway[/a] side to get Day Two underway.[/p][p]Hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/buO3jBAo/"]Switzerland[/a] began their campaign with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/latvia-44JaYkQ4/switzerland-buO3jBAo/?mid=nPW3w5jd"]4-2[/a] win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/latvia/44JaYkQ4/"]Latvia[/a], while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slovenia/x2ZOU7PT/"]Slovenia[/a] edged past the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/OdY4GUuO/"]Czech Republic[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/czech-republic-OdY4GUuO/slovenia-x2ZOU7PT/?mid=URQ8mqFd"]3-2[/a] after overtime.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/canada-dSsR389c/italy-IqPZXVAb/?mid=8xMjOSoo"]Canada hit Italy for six[/a][/h2][p]After an opening day 5-3 win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/vBLjQRXp/"]Sweden[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/dSsR389c/"]Canada[/a] backed it up to sweep [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/IqPZXVAb/"]Italy[/a] side, getting the scoring started early in Fribourg.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/holloway-dylan/K8MiKQcH/"]Dylan Holloway[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/minten-fraser/p2y33Ot0/"]Fraser Minten[/a] and captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/celebrini-macklin/I7wgduSQ/"]Macklin Celebrini[/a] all scored in the first period to give the North Americans an early buffer, which they never relinquished.[/p][p]Celebrini added another in the 23rd minute of play before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bouchard-evan/WxwEOWTF/"]Evan Bouchard[/a] netted the only power-play goal of the game.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-reilly-ryan/6shB1xO0/"]Ryan O'Reilly[/a] finished up the thrashing at the end of the second period. Canada face tougher opposition next, when they take on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denmark/2mX8FleU/"]Denmark[/a] in two days' time.[/p][embed guid="e54093e2-1925-4533-beac-20175107020e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2N53tMFPHk" social-type="youtube" /][h2]Finland continue good form in Hungary victory[/h2][p]Two goals from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puljujarvi-jesse/MwEaYVEO/"]Jesse Puljujarvi[/a] saw Finland see off Hungary to keep their 100% record at this year's championships.[/p][p]The Servette forward, familiar with his surroundings in Switzerland, netted his first to make it 2-0 after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heinola-ville/jHxxiyPc/"]Ville Heinola[/a] had opened the scoring.[/p][p]Hungary did make it a one-goal soon after through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sebok-balazs/nZv2lAyh/"]Balazs Sebok[/a], but that would be their only glimmer of hope in the contest as Finland pulled away.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kuokkanen-janne/dr78kgj2/"]Janne Kuokkanen[/a] made it 3-1 with the fourth goal of the second period, before Puljujarvi took advantage of a power-play to round off the scoring with 17 minutes left in the game.[/p][embed guid="9570cbef-52b4-4a34-a12e-a40c217f74ea" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-q7UtixfFY" social-type="youtube" /][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/norway-nDtCX9uB/slovakia-ruzLVmAN/?mid=bLTZ7YH8"]Slovaks labour to win[/a][/h2][p]After a run to the bronze medal match at the Olympics earlier this year, Slovakia were considered a dark horse for this World Championships, and they had a great start to their 2026 opener, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kometa-brno/AusK09zk/"]Kometa Brno[/a] star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pospisil-kristian/6wjeHPat/"]Kristian Pospisil[/a] scoring inside nine minutes to give his side the lead over the Scandinavians.[/p][p]But, a sluggish performance in the first and second period gave [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/nDtCX9uB/"]Norway[/a] confidence, as they matched their opponents shot-for-shot. Their reward came 13 seconds before the end of the second period as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koblar-tinus-luc/MqpIZzQQ/"]Tinus Koblar's[/a] shot fortunately slipped under the leg of goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hlavaj-samuel/IuSyu3HJ/"]Samuel Hlavaj[/a].[/p][p]Normal service was resumed midway through the final period of this tussle, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hrivik-marek/n5ogCEOT/"]Hrivik[/a] turned one into the net to earn his side victory.[/p][embed guid="c6e432b0-aa50-4c36-92c3-8b358b980c54" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqqYcXifb0" social-type="youtube" /][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/austria-xWM7kVPi/great-britain-C2UJnT9A/?mid=YwvLXuJs"]GB show fight despite Austria loss[/a][/h2][p]After gaining promotion back to the World Championships, Great Britain were looking to build on their 2024 form, which saw them win one game despite relegation.[/p][p]However, in the early going, they struggled to match their Austrian opponents, finding themselves 3-0 down inside the opening 10 minutes.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nissner-benjamin/nJxX4uBU/"]Benjamin Nissner[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schneider-peter/U1McMaWI/"]Peter Schneider[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/huber-paul/Q1elMoob/"]Paul Huber[/a] all scored in quick succession before Britain found their feet.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/clements-david/jcEAdsY8/"]David Clements[/a] and talisman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kirk-liam/z7Pg7K6K/"]Liam Kirk[/a] made it a one-goal game at the end of the first period, only for Austria to forge ahead once more.[/p][p]Two more goals came in the second period, another from Schneider and the fifth from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wallner-leon/d4p0BkZI/"]Leon Wallner[/a], allowing the central Europeans to take their foot off the gas in the final period of the encounter as they look ahead to sterner tests.[/p][embed guid="5c38bce1-0464-4b50-bc6a-aef27901f830" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW1rc1wOVG0" social-type="youtube" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/world/world-championship-2026/"]Follow the IIHF World Championships with Flashscore.[/a][/p]