MacKinnon puts up three points, Canada burns Austria 5-1

Canada started the game down 1-0 despite 23 shots on goal in the first period.

Nathan MacKinnon was the star of the show.

Team Canada improved to 4-0 in the IIHF World Championship Thursday with a 5-1 victory over Austria. The Canadians outshot Austria 52-16, showing just how impressive Austrian netminder Florian Vorauer was in keeping the game somewhat close. MacKinnon led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Brandon Montour had a massive contribution with three assists in the victory.

Marc-André Fleury stopped 15 of 16 shots.

First Period

Canada put up 23 shots on net in the opening frame, but shockingly, Austria struck first when Vinzenz Rohrer scored on a breakaway against Fleury to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Second Period

It took slightly longer than expected, but Canada finally found the net just 21 seconds into the second period when MacKinnon scored on the power play to make it an even game. Montour and Bo Horvat were credited with assists.

Vorauer continued to put up a heroic effort for his country, but the armor was inevitably pierced due to Canada’s relentless assault. MacKinnon scored again at 33:10 to give his native homeland the lead for good.

Third Period

And in the final period of play, Canada crushed their Austrian counterparts. Travis Konecny added to his point streak at 48:32, when he scored off a tip-in assist from Will Cuylle, who found the net himself three minutes later when he beat Vorauer glove side. And in a moments notice, what appeared to be a close game on the scoreboard had transformed into a beatdown.

Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the world championship with just under two minutes remaining with help from Horvat and MacKinnon to seal the deal. The Colorado Avalanche star was named player of the game again for his efforts.

Czech Republic downs Hungary

David Pastrnak scored two goals and an assist as he led the Czech Republic to a 6-1 victory over Hungary. Martin Nečas, who scored two goals in a 7-2 win over Denmark on Monday, did not light the board in this matchup, but he still made an impact. He was active during the power play, ringing a shot off the post during one sequence.

Upcoming

Both teams get another day off with Canada taking on Slovakia at 12:20 p.m. MT on Saturday afternoon. The Czechs will face-off against Kazakhstan at 8:20 a.m. MT.