MacKinnon has three points, Canada finishes first in Group A with win over Sweden

STOCKHOLM - Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists as Canada finished atop its group at the men's world hockey championship with a 5-3 win over co-host Sweden on Tuesday.

Travis Sanheim, Tyson Foerster, Ryan O'Reilly and Macklin Celebrini also scored as Canada bounced back from a 2-1 shootout loss to Finland on Monday with a statement defeat over the previously unbeaten Swedes. 

"Obviously, we scored some big goals, but we were committed to doing the right things in our defensive zone and through the neutral zone," Canada coach Dean Evason said. "Our third period tonight was exactly how we need to play regardless of the score, because that is how we are going to be successful."

Travis Konecny had three assists, while team captain Sidney Crosby and Jared Spurgeon had two helpers apiece. Elias Lindholm, Marcus Johansson and Rasmus Andersson scored for Sweden.

"The Finland game was good for us," Konecny said. "We realized how well teams can play in this tournament, and how much they can push us and test us. 

"We went back to the drawing board and took advantage of some more opportunities tonight, and I think that was a good learning experience."

Jordan Binnington made 25 saves for Canada, while Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 shots for Sweden.

Canada finished the preliminary first in Group A with 19 points from six regulation wins and an extra-time loss.

Sweden was just one point behind the Canadians. Finland was third in the group with 16 points, and Austria took the group's final playoff spot, finishing fourth with 10 points.

Canada will face co-host Denmark in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Denmark secured its spot with a 2-1 shootout win over Germany on Tuesday to finish fourth in Group B. Sweden faces defending-champion Czechia, Finland meets the United States, and Austria battles Switzerland in the other quarterfinals.

After a tight first half of the game, Celebrini's third goal of the tournament came after he took a crisp outlet pass from Crosby at Sweden's blue line, skated in on Markstrom and tucked the puck past the goalie's outstretched pad.

MacKinnon added more insurance with his seventh goal, which tied Lindholm and Switzerland's Sven Andrighetto for the tournament lead.

"It was a tight game, but we were able to capitalize on our chances," MacKinnon said. "(Konecny and O’Reilly) are two awesome players to play with, and they are both hard on the puck and have great vision.

"I feel like we complement each other well, and you could see that on (Konecny’s pass) on my goal. There was a lot of hard work on that shift to retrieve pucks and keep the play alive, and all I had to do was put the puck in an open net."

The extra cushion came in handy when Andersson scored with Markstrom pulled for an extra attacker. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.