Following their blowout of Korea, Team USA was on a roll in the World Championships. Today, they knocked off Norway 9-3 on the strength of two goals from Patrick Kane.
Scott Darling and Keith Kinkaid split the duties for the US, making a combined 23 saves on 26 Norwegian shots. Henrik Haukeland and Lars Haugen made a combined 39 saves on 48 American shots. Kinkaid played the first two periods for the US, giving up one goal and leaving with an 8-1 lead. Haugen got the start for Norway and was pulled in the second period after giving up five.
Kane scored the first two goals of the game, the first at 8:24 of the first on the power play while Martin Roymark was in the box for boarding. Charlie McAvoy and Cam Atkinson had the assists on that goal.
His second came also on the power play – Tobias Lindstrom was off for hooking – and Kane converted at 12:18, after just seven seconds on the man advantage. Alex Debrincat and Atkinson had the assists.
At the 15:25 mark, McAvoy picked up his second point of the early going when he scored from Debrincat. The US had a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Just prior to the end of the first period, at 19:11, Norway’s Mathis Olimb was called for holding, which put the Americans back on the power play going into the second. And just 1:03 in, Dylan Larkin connected, unassisted, to make it 4-0.
At 7:00, Norway would get one back when Kristian Forsberg beat Kinkaid. Lindstrom had the lone assist. That made it 4-1.
Then there was some scary stuff, as the Americans’ Tage Thompson was called for an illegal check to the head and neck area at 8:07 he also received a ten minute misconduct, so Anders Lee served the high hit penalty. The US, however, would notch one as the penalty expired at the 10:38 mark. Alec Martinez scored from Larkin to make it 5-1.
It was at this point that Haugen was pulled in favor of Haukeland.
Different goalie, same result for Norway, however. At 16:40, Lee scored for the US from Larkin and Johnny Gaudreau to make it 6-1.
That was followed up roughly three minutes later at 19:08 by an Atkinson goal from Nick Jensen and Kane. That one made it 7-1 at the end of two as the US was really making sure their goal differential (a crucial stat in this tournament) was padded.
Darling came in for the Americans in the third period and it only took Colin White 2:50 to score. He got assists from Nick Bonino and Connor Murphy to make it 8-1.
Then the US got into some penalty trouble. At 4:17, Neal Pionk took a hooking call. Seven seconds later, Murphy was called for delay of game and the US was two men down. The Norwegians would get one back on the 5-on-3, as Ken Andre Olimb scored from Alexander Bonsaksen and Jonas Holos. That made it 8-2.
A minute and four seconds after the Ken Andre Olimb goal, Mathis Olimb scored at even strength from Lindstrom and Christian Bull. That made it 8-3.
But the Americans would add one final one at 17:27 of the third when Pionk scored from Bonino and Chris Kreider to make it the final 9-3.
For the other Devils who played in the game, Will Butcher had a shot on goal and was a plus-1 in 18:24 over 22 shifts. Blake Coleman was an even plus/minus in 14:49 of time on ice over 16 shifts. Brian Gibbons had a shot and was an even plus/minus in 6:06 over nine shifts.
The US continues on in first place in Group B, with 16 points and four regulation wins and two overtime wins. Their goal differential also leads the group at 37-10. Next up for them, preliminary play concludes on May 15 against Finland. This game will be crucial, as the Finns currently stand behind the Americans in second place in Group B. We will have that for you here as well as the Switzerland-Sweden game later today.