Dylan Cozens leads Canada to narrow win over Switzerland at IIHF World Championship | TSN

PRAGUE, Czechia — Dylan Cozens scored twice and added an assist as Canada edged Switzerland 3-2 on Sunday to remain unbeaten at the world hockey championship.

Canada, the defending champion, improved to 6-0 in the tournament, with one of those victories coming in overtime. Switzerland suffered its first loss in six contests.

The win moved Canada atop the Group A standings with 17 points, two ahead of second-place Czechia. The Canadians square off against Czechia on Tuesday.

Switzerland stands third with 14 points.

Nick Paul had the other goal for Canada, scoring in the second period to snap a 2-2 tie. Andrew Mangiapane added three assists while John Tavares had two as all three Canadian goals came with the man advantage.

Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington made 20 saves, including one on a Swiss penalty shot in the second period with the game tied 2-2.

“I like the way (Dylan Cozens) has stepped up offensively, but I love the way he has played without the puck. He has really raised his game defensively, he keeps his shifts short and he wins big faceoffs,” said Canadian coach Andre Tourigny.

“He does a lot of things for us, and he is a bit of an unsung hero at times. He is a big, big part of our team.”

Cozens opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 1:42 of the first. But after Kevin Fiala tied the score at 11:15, Roman Loeffel put the Swiss ahead 2-1 at 5:03 of the second.

But Fiala’s kneeing major and game misconduct later in the second opened the door for Canada, which responded with two power-play goals.

Cozens made it 2-2 at 8:26 before Paul scored the eventual game-winner at 10:39. Cozens drew an assist as the Canadians took their one-goal lead into the third.

Sandwiched between those was Binnington’s blocker save on Sven Andrighetto on the Swiss penalty shot while short-handed.

Canada killed off two Swiss power plays in the first half of the third before the Swiss returned the favour later in the period. Switzerland removed goaltender Leonardo Genoni in favour of an extra attacker at 18:05 but couldn’t come up with the tying goal.

“It was a heck of a game. We have a ton of respect for the Swiss and the way they play, and they have been having a great tournament so far,” said Canadian captain John Tavares. “They are very dynamic offensively, especially off the rush when their defenders join the play, and we knew that was a big part of Switzerland’s game.

“Our power play really got going today with a few big goals, and that is going to be huge for us moving forward. (Binnington) made a huge save on the penalty shot and we stood tall in the third period. All around it was a heck of a battle.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2024.