Justus Annunen secured a dominant victory for Finland while Ryan O'Reilly found the net for Canada, fueling a perfect start for Nashville’s stars on the international stage.
It was a strong opening day for Nashville Predators players Justus Annunen, Roman Josi and Ryan O'Reilly at the IIHF World Championship, all picking up wins with their respective teams.
Annunen earned his first international victory in Finland's 3-1 win over Germany. He earned the start, making 16 saves on 17 shots, letting in the lone goal in the third period.
Finland will face Hungary Saturday at 9:20 a.m. CST.
The host nation, Switzerland, and Josi defeated the United States, 3-1. Josi did not score, but was called for tripping in the second period.
Ryan Ufko also made his international debut as the seventh defenseman for the US. Predators prospect and 2025 first-rounder Ryker Lee was scratched from the lineup.
The Swiss will face Latvia on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. CST. The United States takes on Great Britain on Sunday at 5:20 a.m. CST.
O'Reilly found the back of the net in Canada's 5-3 win over Sweden. He backhanded the puck into the net in the late first period to put the Canadians up 2-0.
Predators prospect and 2025 second-rounder Jack Ivankovic did not dress for Canada.
Canada will face Italy on Saturday at 9:20 a.m. CST. This could be one of the few games that Ivankovic sees action in the tournament.