from Jared Clinto of The Hockey News,

CANADA PICKS APART DENMARK
It was close, and then it wasn’t. For nearly five minutes, the Danes hung with the Canadians on the opening day of the 2019 World Junior Championship, but a Morgan Frost tally 4:52 into the opening frame saw the game break wide open. As the first period wound on, goals by Owen Tippett and a second by Frost put the game at a distance for Denmark, but it was a convincing second stanza that truly showcased the difference between the two sides....

By the time the final whistle blew, Canada — led by Comtois’ four goals, Frost’s five points and Micheal DiPietro’s 14 saves — skated to an incredibly convincing 14-0 victory.

THIRD PERIOD STRIKES SAVE USA
If not the tournament favorite, Team USA hit the ice on Boxing Day as one of a handful of teams selected to at least finish atop the podium at the world juniors. But on the opening day of action, victory didn’t come easy to the American side with nearly 46 minutes standing between the Red, White and Blue and their first lead of the tournament.

Matched up against Slovakia on opening night, the U.S. took it to the opposition through the first 40 minutes of Wednesday’s outing, owning the shot chart to the tune of 19-12. Despite the seven-shot lead, though, it was the Slovaks who skated into the second intermission with the edge after Marek Korencik’s perfectly placed shot beat Kyle Keyser. The 1-0 lead lasted a mere four minutes of playing time, however, as Mikey Anderson drew USA level just 70 seconds into the second period and Evan Barratt put home what would stand as the eventual game-winning goal with 4:18 left in the second frame.

Despite markers from Anderson and Barratt, it was Keyser who eventually played hero. The American netminder stoned Andrej Kukuca on a penalty shot with less than seven minutes remaining to seal victory for Team USA.

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