Dylan Cozens stayed hot for Canada while Mads Søgaard anchored Denmark’s crease for a pair of wins, including a shutout.
It was another strong weekend for the Senators contingent at the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Switzerland, with three players continuing to play key roles for their countries as the preliminary round enters its final two days.
Cozens Keeps Scoring
Dylan Cozens continued his strong play for Canada on Sunday in a convincing 5-1 win over Slovakia.
The victory keeps Canada in first place in Group B with 17 points heading into its final preliminary-round game.
Cozens opened the scoring with another highlight-reel goal, finishing off a remarkable stretch pass from Sidney Crosby. Crosby corralled the puck near Canada’s net and launched an alley oop pass out to the neutral zone. Cozens caught up to it and snapped a beautiful shot off the near post to give Canada a 1-0 lead.
The goal was Cozens’ third in as many games. He now has four goals and one assist in five tournament games and continues to thrive while wearing the red Maple Leaf.
Canada will close out the preliminary round against Czechia on Tuesday. Assuming Czechia takes care of Norway on Monday, the winner of Tuesday’s matchup will claim first place in Group B.
Finn to Win
Meanwhile, Nikolas Matinpalo and Finland enjoyed a perfect weekend, which goes nicely with their perfect tournament so far.
The Finns shut out Great Britain 4-0 on Friday before defeating Austria 5-2 on Sunday to improve to 6-0 in regulation play at the tournament.
Much like he does in Ottawa, Matinpalo continues to provide a steady defensive presence for Finland. He has no points in six games and logged 17:27 of ice time in Sunday’s victory over Austria.
Finland’s six regulation wins give them 18 points, tied with Switzerland atop Group A. Switzerland currently owns first place via the tiebreaker.
Sogaard Stands Guard
Mads Søgaard enjoyed a successful weekend as well.
The Senators goalie prospect posted a shutout on Saturday as Denmark blanked Slovenia 4-0. It was not an especially busy night for Søgaard, with Denmark heavily controlling play and outshooting Slovenia 30-13, but the six-foot-seven netminder was steady when called upon.
He was right back between the pipes Sunday and helped Denmark earn a 3-2 shootout win over Italy. Søgaard was perfect in the shootout, stopping all five Italian shooters to secure the victory.
The strong weekend was an encouraging response after Søgaard exited Denmark’s 5-1 loss to Slovakia on Thursday following a collision in the opening period. Clearly, the issue was not serious, as he returned to start both weekend games.
Through five appearances at the tournament, Søgaard owns a 2.70 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. He has allowed 12 goals so far in his five games in the tournament, but did not play against Canada last week.
It is an important stretch for Søgaard, who is eligible to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer if Ottawa elects not to qualify him.
Denmark will wrap up preliminary-round play Tuesday against Germany.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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