Henrique posts second straight 3-point game, Canada downs Kazakhstan 4-2 at worlds

RIGA, Latvia — Canada captain Adam Henrique brought the offence again in a 4-2 win over Kazakhstan on Friday at the world hockey championship.

Henrique had a goal and two assists for his second straight three-point game as Canada moved into sixth place in Group B with six points (two regulation wins, three regulation losses).

Andrew Mangiapane and Connor Brown each had a goal and an assist for Canada, while Cole Perfetti scored the game-winner.

Nikita Mikhailis had both goals for Kazakhstan.

Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves for Canada. Andrei Shutov stopped 32 shots for Kazakhstan.

“Before the game we talked about how Kazakhstan liked to defend a lot, but they were really taking it to us on the forecheck and they were very aggressive tonight,” Canada head coach Gerard Gallant said. “I thought they played an excellent game; they worked hard and competed hard. 

“It was a tough challenge for us, but we wanted to make sure we played our game and carried over the good things we did last game. We wanted to get a lot of second and third chances off our scoring opportunities, and it worked out for us today.”

The top four teams in each pool at the end of the preliminary round advance to the quarterfinals. Canada has its work cut out to avoid missing the playoffs at the tournament for the first time.

Latvia is in fourth in the group at eight points after picking up a point Friday in a 4-3 shootout loss to Norway. Kazakhstan is fifth with seven points. 

Canada has two games left — against winless Italy on Sunday and 2019 champion Finland on Tuesday — to make up precious ground.

“We have to focus on Italy first. We need to continue to play our game,” Mangiapane said. “Early on in the tournament we were a little nervous or anxious, but now we have started to find our rhythm and we are playing the right way. 

“We are really starting to jell as a team, but we have to keep going and playing a full 60-minute game if we want to be successful.”

Mangiapane, who made his debut at this tournament in Canada’s 4-2 win over Norway on Wednesday, scored for the second straight game when he put Canada up 1-0 with the only goal of the first period.

“We have some creativity on our line, especially with (Mangiapane) coming into the lineup,” Henrique said. “He adds some skill and creativity, and he works hard.”

Henrique struck just over a minute into the second period to put Canada up 2-0, but Kazakhstan got one back on Mikhailis’s first goal at 4:30 of the second frame.

Mikhailis tied it with a goal 1:31 into the third period, but Perfetti put Canada back in front at 7:40 of the third.

Brown capped the scoring with an empty-net goal.

In Group A action, Sweden defeated Britain 4-1 and Denmark downed Belarus 5-2.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2021.

The Canadian Press