Connor Bedard catches Eric Lindros, Canadian juniors set quarterfinal date with Slovakia
HALIFAX-It feels like the hockey world is only beginning to absorb just how good Connor Bedard is.
But the fans in Halifax know what they're seeing, chanting MVP" as he left the ice after earning four assists in Canada's 5-1 win over Sweden at the world junior hockey championship on Saturday night.
That support has been unreal, and tonight it was even better," said Bedard. I'm sure going into the do-or-die playoff games it will be pretty electric."
With a tournament opening loss to Czechia the only blemish on their record, the Canadians finished second in their group and will play Slovakia in a win-or-go-home quarterfinal on Monday.
Bedard had three assists in the first period, helping the Canadians rocket out to a lead they'd never surrender to close out the regulation round with their third win in a row. His fourth gave him 31 points in 13 career world junior games, tying the Canadian record set by Eric Lindros over 21 games.
It's pretty cool," said Bedard. (Lindros) is an historic talent. To have my name in the same sentence as him is crazy, just because of how good of a player he was and how dominant he was."
The offence was spread around once again - Brennan Othmann with two goals, one each from Tyson Hinds, Joshua Roy and Kevin Korchinski. But Bedard has been the focal point, leading the tournament in scoring at just 17 and proving he can put up points against quality opponents.
He tied Eric Lindros, so that's a pretty big name to tie," said Othmann. He's red hot right now, so we're lucky to have him on our side wearing the Maple Leaf. So it's good that he's hot right now going into the important games."
Bedard didn't score and remains tied with Jordan Eberle for most goals by a Canadian with 14. Even Eberle is taking notice of what this 17-year-old is doing.
The kid has talent," Eberle, a forward with the Kraken, said from Seattle when asked about Bedard's feats, joking: I'm surprised it took him this long. I've been following him since he was quite young. I've always been a big fan of his, and obviously watched closely with the skill level and the talent that he has."
Up next: Slovakia
The Slovaks have a strong team, but an overtime loss to Switzerland on Saturday cost them a chance to finish first in their group and avoid Canada. Forward Peter Repcik of the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders has led Slovakia with three goals and two assists. And they have star power in forward imon Nemec, drafted second overall last summer by the New Jersey Devils, and Montreal Canadiens first-rounder Filip Mear.
They're a good team," Othmann said of the Slovaks. They're dangerous. They've gotten better, we've gotten better, so it's going to be a good matchup."
Happy New Year
If there's a pool game the players love most, it's the New Year's Eve battle - the fourth and final game of the regulation round, and the one they remember watching on TV as kids. It may feel as if Canada's New Year's Eve opponent is typically the Americans or the Russians. But the schedule is based on seeding and this year it worked out to Canada vs. Sweden. The sides hadn't met since Canada won gold in Buffalo in 2018.
The crowd here seems far more amped up than at the rescheduled summertime event, and the sold-out Scotiabank Centre has been rocking. Players have eaten up the atmosphere.
Coming here, it's exceeded expectations," said Bedard. We knew it was going to be pretty crazy, but I didn't really know the magnitude of what it would be like. It's been awesome. I can't stress enough how good."
Early lead
Canada opened a 3-1 lead with a dominant first period. Bedard set up Roy just 57 seconds into the game, then had a hand in a power-play goal by Othmann, 61 seconds later, for a 2-0 lead. Hinds made it 3-0 and Canada seemed to be in control, until Zack Ostapchuk was ejected for kneeing. Sweden's Ludvig Jansson scored on the ensuing five-minute power play.
Good and bad
Perhaps more important than Bedard's first-period assists was the goaltending of Thomas Milic, who was able to preserve that lead even though Canada continued to take too many penalties.
He stopped 22 of 23 shots as Canada took a five-minute major in the first period, and had a run of penalties that left them down two men for 53 seconds in the second.
He was our MVP tonight," Bedard said of Milic. He was unbelievable. He saved a lot for us, and that kind of builds momentum as well."
The Canadians have taken 82 minutes in penalties, the most penalized team in the tournament.
Also a concern: Forward Colton Dach left the game in the third period, labouring to leave the ice while nursing his right arm. If he can't play Monday, Canada can replace him with a player not currently on the roster.
Elimination day
The final day of regulation play in both pools proved to be filled with drama. Other than Latvia and Austria, which will battle to stay out of relegation, no team stood firm in its position. Game by game, it came into focus. The Czechs won the Halifax pool and will play Switzerland on Monday. The Americans won the Moncton pool and will get Germany. The Finns finished second in Moncton and drew Sweden.
Kevin McGran is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @kevin_mcgran