Canada survives an overtime thriller against Norway while Finland dominates Latvia, as the playoff race intensifies across Zurich and Fribourg at the preliminary round’s midway point.
Day 7 of the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championships was highlighted by a massive scare for the tournament favourites, total annihilation by the powerhouse Finns, and a handful of teams solidifying their grip on the playoff picture.
The pressure is starting to mount as the preliminary round pushes past the midway point. Here is how Thursday's four-game slate played out across Zurich and Fribourg.
Group A (Zurich)
Finland 7, Latvia 1
- Finland Goals: Hannes Bjorninen, Henri Jokiharju, Saku Maenalanen, Waltteri Merela, Patrik Puistola, Anton Lundell, Aatu Raty.
- Latvia Goals: Rudolfs Balcers.
- Goalie Matchup: Harri Sateri (WIN) vs. Mareks Mitens (LOSS)
- Game Notes: Latvia provided a momentary shock to the system when captain Rudolfs Balcers picked the pocket of Aleksander Barkov and scored just 10 seconds into the opening frame. That mistake clearly woke up the Finns, who responded by completely tearing Latvia apart the rest of the night. Hannes Bjorninen paced a balanced attack with a goal and two assists, while Mikko Lehtonen chipped in with three helpers from the blue line. Finland cruised the rest of the way to improve to a perfect 4-0 in group play.
Switzerland 4, Great Britain 1
- Switzerland Goals: Nico Hischier, Calvin Thürkauf, Andres Ambühl, Dario Simion.
- Great Britain Goals: Liam Kirk.
- Goalie Matchup: Akira Schmid (WIN) vs. Jackson Whistle (LOSS)
- Game Notes: The hosts continued their dominant run through the preliminary round, though Great Britain made them work for it early. Star forward Liam Kirk gave the Brits a surprise first-period lead on the power play, but Switzerland’s elite talent eventually took over the game. Captain Nico Hischier leveled the score before Calvin Thürkauf notched the game-winner. The Swiss defense completely locked down the final 40 minutes, holding Great Britain to minimal zone time to preserve their undefeated record at the top of Group A.
Group B (Fribourg)
Canada 6, Norway 5 (OT)
- Canada Goals: Mark Scheifele (3), Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan Cozens, Ryan O'Reilly.
- Norway Goals: Noah Steen (2), Eskild Bakke Olsen, Johannes Johannesen, Tinus Luc Koblar.
- Goalie Matchup: Cam Talbot (WIN) vs. Jonas Arntzen Normann (LOSS)
- Game Notes: This was nearly an all-time disaster for Canada, who had to mount a desperate late comeback to survive. Norway shocked everyone by jumping out to a 2-0 first-period lead and later held a 5-4 cushion late in the third. Ryan O'Reilly bailed Canada out by tipping home a Macklin Celebrini shot with just 1:39 left in regulation to force extra time. From there, Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele completed a brilliant hat trick just 29 seconds into overtime to secure the extra point. Evan Bouchard was also excellent in the escape, racking up three assists on the afternoon.
Slovakia 2, Denmark 1
- Slovakia Goals: Martin Pospisil, Pavol Regenda.
- Denmark Goals: Joachim Blichfeld.
- Goalie Matchup: Samuel Hlavaj (WIN) vs. Frederik Dichow (LOSS)
- Game Notes: This was a grueling, low-scoring battle that carried massive implications for the Group B playoff race. Slovakia got on the board early through Martin Pospisil, and Pavol Regenda provided the eventual game-winner in the second period. Denmark pushed hard in the final frame and managed to cut the deficit to one via a Joachim Blichfeld marker, but Samuel Hlavaj stood tall under heavy pressure late. The victory allows Slovakia to keep pace right at the top of the group standings alongside Canada.