Macklin Celebrini with the Sharks (Via Getty Images)
Macklin Celebrini just keeps making history. The San Jose Sharks phenom tipped home a Cale Makar blast from the blue line with 5.7 seconds remaining in the first period, giving Canada a 1-0 lead over Czechia in their Olympic opener at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Thursday.The goal made Celebrini the youngest Canadian NHLer to score at the Olympics, adding another line to an already remarkable resume. The timing could not have been better. Czechia had kept Canada’s star-studded lineup off the board through nearly 20 minutes, with Lukáš Dostál turning aside chance after chance.
Team Canada ’s offensive lineup becomes too much for Czechia to handle
Czechia tried hard to defend, but they just couldn’t survive Canada’s firepower. Makar wound up from the point, and Celebrini got just enough of his stick on the puck to redirect it past the Anaheim netminder.
It was a gut punch for the Czechs heading into the intermission.What had been an evenly contested affair in the first period turned into a demolition in the second. Mark Stone doubled the lead at the 6:40 mark of the middle frame, finishing off a spectacular play from Mitch Marner. The Toronto forward collected the puck on the left wall, drove to the net, and slid a perfect pass across the crease while falling over a laid-out David Špaček.
Stone was waiting at the far post for an easy tap-in. Bo Horvat made it 3-0 just minutes later. Brad Marchand found him with a feed at full speed in the neutral zone, and the New York Islanders captain went in alone before slipping the puck five-hole past Dostál. Connor McDavid picked up the secondary assist on Celebrini’s opener, recording the first point of his Olympic career. The Edmonton captain also had a glorious chance in the second period when Brandon Hagel found him at the far post, but Dostál denied him with a sharp save.
McDavid has been engaged throughout, even getting involved physically at times, a testament to what this tournament means to these players.Despite the scoreline, Czechia has not rolled over. Fueled by an enthusiastic, highly partisan crowd, they generated several dangerous chances and won the faceoff battle in the opening period at 52 percent.Jordan Binnington came up big when needed, stopping a dangerous chance from Radim Šimek in the slot early in the second period. The Czech fans responded to Canada’s goals by urging their team forward with loud chants.Canada carried their commanding lead into the third period, well on their way to an opening victory. The Czechs face Switzerland on Saturday, while Canada takes on the Swiss on Friday at 3:10 PM ET.
