Canada tops Slovakia at worlds, pushes total to 17 points

FRIBOURG, Switzerland -- Captain Macklin Celebrini scored, and Canada defeated Slovakia 5-1 after a four-goal burst in the final period at the ice hockey world championship Sunday.

Celebrini, who led the San Jose Sharks in scoring this season with 115 points, John Tavares, Gabriel Vilardi and Ryan O'Reilly each recorded a two-point game with a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens also scored to help Canada win its sixth straight Group B game.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby set up Cozens to put Canada up 1-0 on a breakaway with 5:32 remaining in the opening period.

It was the fourth goal for Cozens and Crosby's seventh assist at the tournament.

In the middle period, Kristian Pospisil tied it 1-1 for Slovakia.

Canada wasted 1:16 of a 5-on-3 advantage early in the final period but took a 5-1 lead with four goals scored before the midway point.

Vilardi restored a one-goal advantage on a power play 2:14 in the period, and Tavares netted a backhand shot 2:40 later.

O'Reilly increased it to 4-1 with a short-handed goal for his fifth at the worlds 7:36 in, and 1:45 later, Celebrini scored his third in Switzerland from the top of the right circle.

Netminder Jet Greaves stopped 31 shots for Canada, which tops Group B with 17 points and faces Czechia (13 points) in its last group-stage game Tuesday. Slovakia is in third with 11 points.

In Zurich, Finland improved to 6-0 by beating Austria 5-2 to join Switzerland atop Group A with both teams having 18 points. Austria remains third with nine points.

Britain relegated

Britain's return to the ice hockey world championship proved short-lived after Latvia blanked the newcomer 6-0.

Britain's sixth straight defeat in Group A means it is relegated from the top division with a game left.

Britain returned to the top tier after a one-year absence but has failed to win a point and scored only four goals and conceded 29 in its six games. Britain, which will play Germany on Monday in its final game, trails second-to-last Hungary by three points but lost their head-to-head encounter 5-0.

Italy secures a point

Another newcomer, Italy, still has a chance to survive after earning the first point in a 3-2 defeat to Denmark in a shootout.

Italy is two points behind Slovenia in Group B before they face each other Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.