Macklin Celebrini scored again, Sidney Crosby netted his first, and Jet Greaves stopped 34 shots as Canada beat the United States 4-0 in a rematch of the Olympic final to advance to the semifinals at the ice hockey world championship on Thursday. In the latest edition of their fierce rivalry, Canada’s quarterfinal victory ended the Americans’ quest to retain the trophy that they had won for the first time since 1933, the AP reports. The two teams met for the first time since the gold-medal game at the Milan Cortina Olympics three months ago, when the Americans prevailed 2-1 in overtime.
Canada remains on course to capture its 29th title at the worlds. Celebrini scored his sixth goal at the worlds, Crosby got his first, and Dylan Holloway and Connor Brown also scored. Mark Scheifele had two assists, and Greaves turned away every shot he faced. The 19-year-old Celebrini broke the deadlock with 1:29 remaining in the opening period on a power play with a shot from the slot to beat US goalie Devin Cooley. Earlier, Canada wasted a five-minute major penalty for Ryan Lindgren’s illegal check to the head of defenseman Evan Bouchard and game misconduct.
In their most recent matchup at the worlds, Canada won 4-2 in the semifinals in 2021 and went on to capture gold. The US took bronze. Matthew Tkachuk lost a chance to become the first American in hockey’s Triple Gold Club. He won the Stanley Cup back-to-back with the Florida Panthers and claimed the Olympic gold in Milan. Canada is powered by an NHL-laden roster with established forwards such as John Tavares and Ryan O’Reilly. The Canadians cruised through the preliminary stage with seven wins and topped their group. The Americans had a much younger, less-experienced team and only made the last eight by beating Austria 4-1 in the final group-stage game.
