World Cup of Hockey: Czech Republic vs Canada recap, full highlights

Team Canada dominated Team Czech Republic 6-0 in their first World Cup of Hockey game.

Entering the tournament, many listed Canada as the favorites to win the World Cup of Hockey. And understandably so, considering the unfair depth that Canada possesses on both ends of the ice. After a relatively boring slate of exhibition games, Canada got to work against Czech Republic in their first game of the group stage. They beat the Czechs 5-0 in an extremely impressive showing of dominance and skill.

Canada boasts an impressive group of forwards, as they got goals from five different players at the position. Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand Joe Thornton, and Jonathan Toews each got tallies and nine of their forwards notched at least one point. Crosby led the way with four points. The Crosby, Bergeron, and Marchand line was Canada’s best forward line by a significant margin, as they had a combined seven points.

They also boast a deep group of blue liners. Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, and Alex Pietrangelo were the only three defensemen to get a point, but that’s more of a testament to how effectively Canada’s forwards moved the puck. After a rough start to the game that saw Czech Republic run out to a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal, the Czechs only had 20 shots on goal for the rest of the game. Carey Price looked fantastic in his first meaningful action since his November injury. Montreal Canadiens fans have to be happy about that.

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The Czech Republic will have to bounce back from this beating on Monday, Sept. 19 when they face Team Europe at 3:00 PM EST. Canada gets to face the United States, who lost 3-0 to Team Europe earlier on Saturday, on Tuesday Sept. 20. The two sides have a bit of a rivalry, so expect it to get physical.