Three Toronto Maple Leafs players stood out during the opening day at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.
John Tavares and Morgan Rielly played for Team Canada as they faced off against Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Team Sweden. Canada ended up winning the contest 5-3, but each player contributed on the scoresheet for each of their countries.
Maple Leafs with a strong opening day at the IIHF World Hockey Championships
John Tavares continued his hot streak when competing with Canada as he scored a goal during the team's opener, in just over eight minutes. Morgan Rielly registered an assist during Canada's win, while playing just under 11 minutes, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson recorded an assist as well in the contest, as he led the way for the Maple Leafs players, having a time on ice of 16:52. Tavares later continued his strong play on Saturday as he recorded two assists in Team Canada's 6-0 win over Team Italy.
Joseph Woll continues to struggle as USA drops their opening game
Joseph Woll struggled in Team USA's opener, as they lost 3-1 in a gold medal rematch against Team Switzerland. Woll saved 17 shots and the 20 shots he faced during the loss. Woll had an up-and-down year with the Maple Leafs as he struggled to close out the regular season. This tournament is used for the Missouri native to regain confidence heading into next season; however, based on how this play continues throughout the remainder of the championship, it could be seen as the opposite. In terms of the USA's sake, they will need to rely on Woll if they want any chance of winning consecutive gold medals, as other teams, at first glance, look to be stronger.
It will only be a matter of time to see how the rest of the tournament shapes up, as Tavares and Rielly continue their search for a gold medal on Monday as they face Denmark. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Sweden will continue the preliminary round on Sunday as they face off against Denmark, while the USA and Joseph Woll are set to play Great Britain on Sunday.
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