Team USA had an offensive explosion against Hungary in the 2026 IIHF World Championships on Monday. The U.S. got off to a fast start and didn't look back in Monday's 7-3 win. Justin Faulk opened the scoring before Matthew Tkachuk made it 2-0 in the first period. Team USA took that 2-0 lead into the second period and got three more goals, taking a commanding 5-1 lead into the third period. Ryan Leonard scored twice in the middle frame, and Faulk also added his second goal. Hungary cut it to 5-3 in the third period before Tkachuk sealed the game with an empty-net goal, making it 6-3. Max Plante put the exclamation mark on the win, making it a 7-3 game in the final 30 seconds of the third period. Pittsburgh Penguins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins] forward Tommy Novak had an unbelievable game, finishing with five assists. He was all over the ice and worked great on the fourth line alongside Plante and Leonard. Team USA will conclude preliminary play against Austria on Tuesday. If the U.S. wins in regulation, it would clinch its spot in the quarterfinals. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
