Facing a high-powered Team Canada offence, Slovakia knew it had to employ some extreme tactics to get the win in the fourth quarter-final. Before the game, the talk was all about getting physical on Connor Bedard, hoping to throw a player having one of the greatest tournaments in history off his game.
The plan was successful in the opening minutes. Slovakia locked down the front of their net to not allow any pucks on their goaltender, while amassing shots on Canadian goaltender Thomas Milic on their offensive-zone forays.
When you’re playing a team with the talent of Bedard, however, anything less than perfection can be enough to cost you, and that was the case on the game’s opening goal.