Celebrini Shines, McDavid Stays Hot in 10-2 Canada Victory Over France

Canada closed out the preliminary round in emphatic fashion Sunday, rolling to a 10-2 win over France in their third and final group-stage game.

Already locked into first place in Group A, Canada entered the matchup focused on padding its goal differential to secure the top overall seed heading into the quarterfinals. They did just that — and rewrote parts of the Olympic record book in the process.

It was a historic afternoon for the Canadian stars. Sidney Crosby moved into first all-time in Canadian Olympic points among NHL participants, Connor McDavid became the first player in Olympic history to record three points in three straight Games with NHL involvement, and Macklin Celebrini became the youngest Canadian ever to score on a penalty shot at the Olympics.

Celebrini led the charge with two goals and an assist. Crosby, McDavid, and Mark Stone each recorded a goal and two helpers, while Tom Wilson completed a Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist, and a fight. All but two Canadian skaters found the scoresheet. In goal, Jordan Binnington turned aside 12 shots for the win.

Despite the lopsided final, the start wasn’t perfect. Canada appeared out of rhythm early, guilty of over-passing and loose structure. Still, they broke through midway through the first period.

Wilson set the tone physically, finishing a check behind the French net before collecting a loose puck and sending it back to the point. Drew Doughty fired from the blue line, and Wilson pounced on the rebound to open the scoring. McDavid picked up his sixth assist of the tournament, extending his point streak to three games.

France answered immediately off a Canadian turnover, briefly quieting the momentum. But Canada responded just as quickly. On an odd-man rush, Crosby found Devon Toews trailing the play, and the defenceman snapped home the go-ahead goal. With the assist, Crosby tied Joe Sakic for second all-time in Canadian Olympic scoring among NHLers at the time.

The three goals in a 52-second span marked the first occurrence of such a burst in Olympic competition featuring NHL players.

Late in the opening frame, Stone showcased his defensive instincts. While shorthanded, he intercepted a pass and broke in alone, chipping a backhand past French starter Julian Junca to give Canada a 3-1 lead at intermission.

The second period only widened the gap.

Just 15 seconds into a Canadian power play midway through the frame, McDavid fed Cale Makar, who stepped in from the blue line and ripped a wrist shot home to make it 4-1. Crosby’s assist on the play tied him with Jarome Iginla for the Canadian Olympic scoring record among NHL participants.

Celebrini then drew a penalty shot at 17:16 after being hauled down on a clear breakaway. The 18-year-old made no mistake, snapping a shot under Junca’s arm to extend the lead. Nineteen seconds later, Crosby’s attempted pass deflected off a defender and slid through Junca’s pads, pushing the margin to 6-1 and officially moving Crosby into sole possession of first in Canadian Olympic scoring history among NHL players.

Canada dominated the shot clock 33-7 through 40 minutes.

France turned to Antoine Keller in net to start the third, but the change did little to slow the surge. Just 20 seconds in, Celebrini threaded a pass to McDavid, who danced in and finished on the backhand for his third straight three-point outing — an Olympic first.

France got one back at 1:28 when Sacha Treille blasted a slap shot past Binnington, however, the result was long decided.

Tempers flared after Nathan MacKinnon absorbed a high hit from Pierre Crinon. Wilson later answered the bell, dropping the gloves in defence of his teammate to complete his Gordie Howe hat trick.

Canada continued to pour it on late, with goals from Bo Horvat, Brandon Hagel and another from Celebrini on the power play, to round out the 10-2 final.

With the preliminary round complete, Canada heads into the knockout stage unbeaten — and carrying plenty of momentum along with a freshly rewritten record book.