The first two Hurricanes have finished their tournaments in Italy. Denmark's Nikolaj Ehlers and Frederik Andersen suffered a defeat in the qualifying round on Tuesday, losing 3-2 to Czechia. It was a valiant effort from the Danes, especially against a team this skilled, but they couldn't climb out of a 3-1 hole.
Andersen made his third start of the tournament for Denmark, and he put together a solid game, finishing with 28 stops on 31 shots. All of the scoring was done in the second period. Former Hurricanes teammate Martin Necas got the scoring started. Alexander True responded, but Czechia scored twice in 69 seconds to take a two-goal lead halfway through the frame.
Denmark pulled within one with a late-period tally on the power play, and they outshot the Czechs 12-5 over the final 20 minutes. Lukas Dostal refused to allow the tying goal. Multi-point efforts from Necas and captain Roman Cervanka were just enough to get them over the edge, setting up a date with top-seeded Canada on Wednesday.
Andersen, Ehlers can use this tournament as positive momentum
It might not have been the final result the Danes were hoping for, but there is plenty to appreciate about the tournament both Frederik Andersen and Nikolaj Ehlers had. As Denmark's top skater, there was a lot of pressure placed on Ehlers. He played a lot of hockey, averaging over 20 minutes per game. He recorded points in all three group games before being held scoreless today.
In my eyes, there was a lot more interest in how well Andersen would play. To say that this hasn't been a great season for him would be an understatement. I'm not sure whether Rod Brind'Amour purposefully didn't play him over the final week before the break because he knew Andersen would play a lot for Denmark, but there weren't many signs of rust.
Andersen played three solid games during the tournament. He was bested in the opener by Germany, thanks to their two stars, he was outstanding his lone win over Latvia to finish the group stage, and he had a perfectly acceptable outing against Czechia today. Andersen finished the tournament with a .913 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA in three contests.
With the Hurricanes back on the ice today for the first time since February 5, Andersen and Ehlers are sure to join over the next few days. Ehlers had assists in four of the last six games before the break, but he hasn't scored a goal since his hat trick against Florida. Andersen hasn't played for the Canes since January 31, though he's on a five-game point streak (2-0-3).