2026 IIHF World Championship: Crosby, Barkov highlight top standouts on final day of round robin
After 12 days of round-robin action at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, eight teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round in an attempt to steal gold in Switzerland.
Now, the real fun begins.
Tuesday’s six-game affair saw important matchups that determined the final seedings for the playoff round. Slovakia and Austria were knocked out of playoff spots following their losses to Sweden and the United States, respectively. Germany was also knocked out following victories for both Latvia and USA.
Switzerland took home the top spot in Group A, while Canada had previously locked up the top spot in Group B.
Here’s a look at the quarterfinal schedule for Thursday, May 28 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland:
Here’s a look at the top performers from today’s busy game slate:
Denmark, 3, Norway 4 (Overtime)
Norway managed to clinch second in Group B thanks to a 4-3 overtime victory over Denmark.
It took a bit of time for the clinch to be official, thanks to Denmark tying the game with one second left in regulation. Norway scored first, with Tinus Luc Koblar getting a rebound at 11:55. Joachim Blichfeld would tie things up early in the second, and would score another late in the period, but only after Koblar and Andreas Martinsen scored one apiece.
With Norway in control in the dying minutes, it felt like they were destined to finish the game in regulation. Instead, Patrick Russell scored with 1.1 left on the board, picking up an Alexander True rebound to make it 3-3. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard needed just 13 seconds to finish the game in overtime, going end-to-end to complete the victory.
Denmark finished the tournament in 12th place, overtaking Slovenia due to having a +1 goal differential over the Slovenians.
Denmark
#1 Nicolaj Henriksen, G: It was another good start for Henriksen, who would have been Denmark’s third goalie had Freddy Dichow been able to play the tournament. But it felt like every time we saw Henriksen, he gave his team a chance to steal a point or two by deflecting pucks out of danger. Norway ultimately won this game, but Henriksen was easily my favorite Dane today.
#86 Joachim Blichfeld, RW: Blichfeld can absolutely fire pucks. He has one of the hardest shots of any player, which led to a two-goal night. The former NHL winger is inconsistent as a two-way player, but he’s an absolute menace in open space and doesn’t waste many opportunities. If it wasn’t for him, the Danes wouldn’t have been remotely competitive today.
Norway
#27 Andreas Martinsen, LW: The former NHL forward scored his first goal of the tournament, added an assist and then proceeded the screen on the third Norwegian goal. This was easily the best performance of the tournament out of the former NHL forward, using his big frame to create havoc and cause issues for the Danish defenders. He’s more of a support player at this point in his career, but if he can outmuscle 6-foot-8 Malte Setkov, that’s more than enough.
#28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, RW (Detroit Red Wings): MBN’s addition made an already lethal team even more dangerous. He kept the play alive that turned into the 1-0 goal and then nearly had a pair of chances himself – including scoring the game-winner. Despite being parachuted in late, it feels like he has had no trouble creating chemistry with his linemates and giving them the speed and strength they were missing. MBN would probably prefer to chase the Calder Cup right now, but he has a chance to help Norway medal for the first time in this event given the way he’s playing.
#44 Tinus Luc Koblar, C (Toronto Maple Leafs): Koblar scored twice in this one for one of his best performances of the tournament. The Maple Leafs prospect scored off a quick rebound in the first period and then scored from the slot on the 3-1 goal thanks to a great pass from Max Krogdahl. Koblar’s game today was all about making sure he was in the right position at the right time. I’m noticing that seems to be a trend with his game…
Hungary 1, Latvia 8
Latvia is off to the quarterfinal after a convincing 8-1 win over Hungary.
The Hungarians finished the tournament in 14th, with their 5-0 win over Great Britain earlier in the tournament helping them avoid relegation.
The game was never particularly close, with Latvia leading 3-0 after the opening period. Rudolfs Balcers, Deniss Smirnovs and Eduards Tralmaks got the game going, while Toms Andersons and Miks Tumanovs tallied one each in the second.
Marton Nemes would score the lone goal for Hungary at 37:57, but Renars Krastenbergs and Sandis Vilmanis (twice) helped finish the night for Latvia.
Hungary
#13 Krisztian Nagy, C: Nagy didn’t get a point in this one, but you noticed him every time he hit the ice. He’s big, strong and plays a relentless forechecking game that makes everyone else take cover when he’s coming at you. He was one of Hungary’s top players in this tournament, despite playing on the fourth line the entire time. But when you embody that take-no-prisoners attitude, your teammates love you for it.
Latvia
#22 Toms Andersons, RW: The 32-year-old winger had failed to get on the scoresheet this month…. until today. He finished with a goal and an assist, doing his damage on the man advantage. He also won just about every battle around the boards and had a few decent looks to look to add to his stats. After a quiet few games, it was good to see him come out flying today.
#23 Sandis Vilmanis, LW (Florida Panthers): Vilmanis was everywhere every single night for Latvia. His crash-and-bang style of the past has been upgraded with a bit more skill and confidence. Vilmanis doesn’t give opponents much time with the puck because he chases them down and forces them to make a mistake. Vilmanis had two goals and an assist today as he dominated with his speed and skill.
#34 Eduards Tralmaks, RW (Detroit Red Wings): The big Latvian forward was named player of the game after scoring a goal and adding two assists. I liked his play along the goal line – nobody wanted to mess with him, so he’d use that to his advantage to wait out opponents before sending the puck into the slot. Tralmaks has given Latvia a nice boost after the end of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ season, adding another big, strong body into the top six.
#95 Oskars Batna, C: Batna proved to be way too much for the Hungarian defenders to deal with. He found himself in front of the net on various occasions to take space away, and was eventually awarded with an assist on the 4-0 Latvian goal. I like that he is always looking to use his big frame to create space for his linemates while taking it away from everyone else. But he’s no slouch with the puck either, and this felt like his best hockey of the tournament.
#97 Haralds Egle, C: Egle seemed to have the puck all night long. He dominated the possession every time the second line hit the ice, leading to a two-assist night. Both came at 5-on-5, as well. His speed and determination to win every battle was evident from the opening puck drop and it helped give Latvia yet another line nobody wanted to mess with.
Austria 1, USA 4
The United States have avoided disaster, beating Austria 4-1 to clinch a spot in the quarterfinal.
With the win, the Americans leaped over Austria to take the fourth and final spot in the round of eight, and will play Canada on Thursday. Austria, meanwhile, missed out despite one of the better round-robins in team history.
Things didn’t look good for Austria from the get-go. Connor Clifton and Ryan Ufko scored goals less than a minute apart in the opening period, giving the Americans a nice lead. Paul Cotter and Matthew Tkachuk combined to make it 4-0 with about 28 minutes left in the game, and that proved to be too much for the Austrians.
Simeon Schwinger would score his only goal of the tournament at 36:10 to give his team something to celebrate, but American goaltender Devin Cooley was perfect the rest of the way in a 4-1 victory.
Austria
#96 Mario Huber, C: Huber was good in the faceoff dot and was one of the few Austrian forwards who didn’t struggle in their own zone. He also played with a ton of speed, something Austria really lacked in the bottom six. Huber is a decent forward who gives it his all every shift, and I like his overall effort.
USA
#7 Ryan Ufko, D (Nashville Predators): Ufko has played a pair of great games to end the round robin. He was rewarded with a goal in this one, but he also used his speed and side-to-side mobility to take space away from the Austrians. He doesn’t get a ton of love as a prospect, but I really like his game. He was great this year between the NHL and AHL and I hope he gets to spend next year in the NHL on a full-time basis.
#17 Will Borgen, D (New York Rangers): It would have been easy to get to this point and forget that Borgen was in the lineup. But he was good today, assisting on two goals and making some great defensive plays. He’s more of a stay-at-home defender in the NHL, and that’s exactly what we have seen from him in Switzerland. Today, though, he played a bit more loosely as the USA needed all the offense it could get.
#24 Mathieu Olivier, RW (Columbus Blue Jackets): Olivier and the IIHF referees haven’t been on friendly terms over the past two weeks. And today, Austria’s defenders felt the brute force of Olivier’s menacing game. He spent a lot of time in front of the net and had an assist for his efforts. He also took space away from Tolvanen and made it impossible for the Austrians to do anything in their zone. This was his best game of the tournament.
#27 Matt Coronato, C (Calgary Flames): Coronato has been more of a support forward at this tournament but he seemed to really, really want to score today. Coronato had the primary assist on Tkachuk’s power-play goal, with Coronato doing an excellent job near the goal line. He also led all players in this one with five shots, including four in the second period. It’s still weird seeing him at center but he has gotten better with each passing game.
Slovakia 2, Sweden 4
Like the United States, Sweden avoided total embarassment and will play in the quarterfinal on Thursday after beating Slovakia 4-2.
The loss knocked the Slovaks out of the playoffs for the third time in four years.
Slovakia struck first, with Martin Chromiak opening the scoring at 4:54. But Anton Frondell, who gave the puck away on the play that led to the 1-0 goal, would knot it all up at one apiece. The Swedes would get some breathing room in the second, with Jakob Silfverberg and Ivar Stenberg scoring a goal each to make it 3-1 by the 31st minute.
Slovakia would show a bit of muscle the rest of the way, with Marek Hrivik cutting the lead to one late in the second. The Slovaks then tried everything possible to get back into the game, but Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s empty-netter with 1:15 left meant the Swedes were good to go and could breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in about two weeks.
Slovakia
#10 Adam Sykora, RW (New York Rangers): I’ve said it already this month, but I like the energy he brings to the table. Sykora had an assist on the opening goal and then continued to crash and bang the rest of the night. On a team with very few NHLers to choose from, you typically would hope a guy like Sykora would go out there and bring the offense. That’s not really his game, though. He’s more of a grinder who will try to get everyone else off their game. For the most part, I thought he succeeded at this tournament.
#23 Adam Liška, LW: Yet another noticeable performance from Liška. Like I said with Sykora, Slovakia doesn’t have a lot of play drivers who can go out there and make a difference offensively. Liska at least gives the team an opportunity every single time he hits the ice. It felt like he was one of Slovakia’s better shot generators throughout the tournament. And while the numbers might not reflect it, I did like his effort overall.
Sweden
#14 Mattias Ekholm, D (Edmonton Oilers): I really liked Ekholm today. I’m not sure there was a Slovak player who could push him around today. And he had an assist on the first Swedish goal, too. We haven’t seen much from him with the puck at this tournament, but he has been defensively steady when needed. Today felt like his most polished performance, so it was good to see him have a solid result.
#23 Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D (Toronto Maple Leafs): I know his goal was an empty netter, but it was hilarious watching him do that and then confront Kristian Pospisil at the end. OEL has shown that he’s not afraid of anyone and won’t take your (beep) at an event like this. This felt like his best two-way game since the start of the tournament. And it came at the right time, as Sweden needed a leader to provide value at both ends of the ice.
#41 Ivar Stenberg, LW (2026 NHL Draft): Yet another great game from Sweden’s top left winger. He scored a highlight-reel goal that proved to be the game-winner today. Clearly, playing in the spotlight at an event like this hasn’t proven to be a problem for a guy gunning for top spot in the 2026 NHL Draft. Stenberg is fearless and has shown no issues going up against bigger defenders throughout the tournament. It’s hard to not love his tournament right now.
Canada 3, Czechia 2
Canada erased a 2-0 deficit midway through the game to beat Czechia and finish the round robin with an undefeated record.
The Canadians will take on the United States in the quarterfinal, while Czechia will play Finland.
Czechia pulled out to a 2-0 advantage before the halfway point in the game. Marek Alscher had the lone goal of the first period, before former NHLer Dominik Kubalik doubled it up at 28:18. But a pair of goals from Macklin Celebrini – once in the second and again in the third – got Canada back in the game.
The Czechs couldn’t muster much in the third period, and John Tavares would take advantage of a defensive miscue in front to make it 3-2. Czechia pulled goaltender Dominik Pavlat with about two minutes to go in the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Canada’s earlier goal.
Canada
#71 Macklin Celebrini, C (San Jose Sharks): Canada desperately needed a goal in the second period to stop the bleeding, and Celebrini seemed to take that personally. He took six shots in the middle stanza, including the goal that made it 2-1 before scoring the game-tying marker in the third. The Sharks’ superstar has been consistently a top-end player every single night. And while he hasn’t had a dominant performance, it feels like you can count on him to generate quality chances just about every single period.
#87 Sidney Crosby, LW (Pittsburgh Penguins): It’s big plays like his pass on the first Canadian goal that make you truly appreciate Sid for who he is. He’s a dominant offensive threat, even as one of the older players in this tournament. It doesn’t matter who he’s passing to. It feels like every pass he makes is purposeful and effective. I have loved his chemistry with Celebrini, with the pair converting on two goals. I feel like no matter the result for Canada, Crosby has had a big impact every single night.
#91 John Tavares, LW (Toronto Maple Leafs): Tavares has taken on a checking role at times while watching Canada’s top trio do most of the scoring work. But it was nice to see him be in the right spot at the right time for his third goal of the tournament. Getting the puck from all alone in front of the check net and converting with some quick hands. Today was probably his best performance of the tournament. He was one of the hardest-working forwards all night long. He always shows up for his country, and today was no exception.
Czechia
#39 Dominik Pavlat, G: Pavlat had a dreadful showing against Norway and likely wouldn’t have started this game had Josef Kořenář been healthy and ready to go. But Pavlat seemed to let yesterday go free from his mind, because he was excellent today. He made a ton of big stops as Canada started to get more desperate in the attacking zone and didn’t allow a bad goal. Puck tracking is still not his strong suit, but he’s got the athleticism to make up for last-second opportunities. things.
#18 Dominik Kubalik, LW: Kubalik’s goal that opened the scoring was not one of his better shots. But he had a couple of excellent opportunities the rest of the night to make sure his line was always buzzing. While I know his consistency has been an issue during his pro career, he definitely still has an NHL-caliber shot and is one of the better players at this tournament at getting into the right spot at the right time. It feels like, as Czechia has evolved throughout the tournament, Kubalik has gotten better. And that’s important because this team doesn’t have a lot of high-end scoring weapons at its disposal.
#61 Martin Kaut, RW: The former NHLer was buzzing in this one. I expected a bit more from him throughout the tournament, but this was one of his better games in terms of shot generation from the slot. He didn’t score, but he kept the Canadian defenders on their toes and made them work for it. I really liked his play alongside Kubalik, in particular.
Finland 2, Switzerland 4
Switzerland will finish the round robin on home ice with a perfect 7-0 record thanks to a 4-2 win over Finland.
With the win, Switzerland will play Sweden in one quarterfinal on Thursday, with Finland taking on Czechia in the other.
Switzerland scored twice before the four-minute mark to pull ahead. Attilio Biasca and Ken Jager scored to show that the non-NHLers could get the job done in a game like this. But Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov scored a pair of goals on consecutive shifts to tie the game, forcing an exciting end.
Both teams traded opportunities throughout the third, but only one – Switzerland – would score. Jager’s second of the night proved to be the difference-maker, while Nico Hischier’s empty-netter in the final minute ultimately sealed the deal.
Finland
#10 Henri Jokiharju, D (Boston Bruins): Jokiharju was great again today. He had assists on both of Barkov’s second-period goals and dealt with some of the tougher defensive matchups with ease. He’s not a high-end defenseman and definitely wouldn’t be getting much playing time if the team had all its options available. But it feels like he has taken the extended opportunities in stride and has looked great from the get-go.
#16 Aleksander Barkov, C (Florida Panthers): Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Barkov came alive in an important game by winning a boatload of faceoffs, contributing on the power play, and taking space away on the penalty kill. This was the best game we have seen out of Barkov all tournament long, and he was a big reason why the Finns even got back into this in the first place, thanks to a two-goal second period. We knew it would take him some time to get up to full speed after missing the entire NHL season, but he looked at the top of his game today.
#94 Konsta Helenius, RW (Buffalo Sabres): Helenius has had the primary assist on the second goal that changed everything in this game. I feel like he’s been a perfect fit for the top line ever since joining the team mid-tournament. He’s a tough guy to take off the puck, and he plays a reliable two-way game for a winger. Having someone like Barkov to lean on definitely doesn’t hurt. But Heleneus looks like a player who’s ready for a breakout in his first full NHL season next year. He’s playing with confidence, skill, and speed all wrapped into one.
Switzerland
#20 Reto Berra, G: Berra couldn’t have done much more on Barkov’s two goals, but I thought he played well the rest of the night. He had to deal with a bit more traffic in front of the net than Finland did, and I feel like he held his own with the puck tracking. This was likely his last performance of the tournament, so he wanted to make the biggest impression possible. I feel like he did a good job of keeping Switzerland in the game as Finland started to amp up the pressure in the second half.
#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): So much of Hischier’s value comes away from the puck. Timo Meier is more of the shooter on the top line, but Hischier clears lanes, hits guys, and cleans things up in the defensive zone. You put that together, and he is definitely one of the more complete players in this tournament, which is why he is getting so much love every single night. That empty-netter to seal the victory had to feel good.
#17 Ken Jager, C: Jager had the night of his life, scoring twice – including the game-winning power-play goal in the third period. The fourth-line center plays with a lot of skill, and he works as hard as anyone on the Swiss attack. The two goals had to be massive for his confidence, especially given that it handed Switzerland first place in the group.
#94 Attilio Biasca, LW: I’ve loved Biasca all tournament long, so it was nice to see him score today. He’s a play-disturber who goes out there to take everyone else’s top players out of their games. In a tight affair like this, that’s extremely important. So it was good to see him have one of his more complete games. I don’t think he has the overall pace to hang with some of the tournament’s elite, but he’s a very good glue guy that his teammates seem to like.