With Sebastian Aho getting the day started in a big way for Finland against Italy, two more Hurricanes would try to keep the ball rolling during the afternoon window. Jaccob Slavin and the United States battled Nikolaj Ehlers and Denmark in the second game for each squad at the Winter Olympics. While the edge would clearly be in America's favor, Denmark stuck around longer than expected.
Both Hurricanes found the scoresheet for their respective countries
The Danes got off to a very quick start, getting a bounce off Zach Werenski's skate to open the scoring. Less than two minutes later, the Americans responded with a wrap-around tuck by Matt Boldy. The Wild forward might've done most of the work, but Quinn Hughes and Jaccob Slavin each recorded helpers, giving Slavin his first Olympic point.
While Denmark led 2-1 after the first period, the Americans rolled back with three unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead. In the dying seconds of the middle frame, off a won face-off, Nikolaj Ehlers pushed the puck back to the point for a one-timer that beat Jeremy Swayman, earning him his second assist of the tournament, and bringing the Danes within a goal.
The United States eventually pulled away in the third, winning 6-3. Slavin's playing time was even lower in the second game, skating for just 13:50, which was the lowest among the defensemen again. Conversely, Ehlers' importance to his team's offense was on full display. He was second only to Lars Eller in ice time for Denmark's forward group (19:07).
There's still a ton on the line for the Canes in action on Sunday
With Group B concluding its play on Saturday, Groups A and C will follow suit on Sunday, putting as many as four Hurricanes in action. The Canadians own a slight edge, for now, over the Americans for the top spot as the remaining undefeated teams. Canada holds a two-goal advantage over the United States in goal differential, which would be the first tiebreaker.
Canada's opponent on Sunday feels a little easier than the United States'. The Canadians will battle France, potentially giving us another Finland-Italy situation. It would be nice to see Seth Jarvis get more playing time after a strong showing in limited action on Friday. Meanwhile, the Americans have the Germans on the schedule in the second half of a back-to-back for both sides.
Sandwiched between Canada and the United States on the schedule is Denmark, which meets Latvia to conclude group play. Latvia beat Germany on Saturday in a surprising upset. With Frederik Andersen not dressed for today's game, it would appear that he'll be in line to start for the Danes. He'll need a big game, along with a strong showing from Ehlers, to keep Denmark out of the cellar.