Canada loses to Germany, falls to 0-3 at world championship

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Germany beat Canada 3-1 on Monday at the hockey world championship to remain undefeated through three games.

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Adin Hill allowed two goals on 24 shots as Canada fell to 0-3-0. Ottawa Senators forward Nick Paul’s goal was just Canada’s second of the tournament.

“We’re beating everyone but the goalie,” said Canada’s Connor Brown, who plays for Ottawa. “We just need a little bit of poise in the scoring areas. We’re a little jolty to get it off, we just have to take that extra second in the scoring area, pick the corner and put it home.”

Stefan Loibl and Matthias Plachta scored and ex-NHL defenseman Korbinian Holzer added an empty-net goal for Germany, which is atop the Group B standings with Canada tied for last. Canada outshot Germany 40-25.

“That’s three straight losses from Canada — you don’t expect that,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “We’ve played good hockey so far. We just haven’t gotten the results.”

Host Latvia beat Italy 3-0 to improve to 2-1-0. Martins Karsmus, who played 24 NHL games more than a decade ago, scored twice for Latvia, which got the tournament after the IIHF moved it from nearby Belarus.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik scored the overtime winner for the Czech Republic, which beat Belarus 3-2. Detroit’s Filip Zadina also scored for the Czech Republic, and New Jersey’s Yegor Sharangovich had a goal for Belarus.

Russia lost 3-1 to Slovakia but will be getting reinforcements from the NHL. Following quarantine and virus testing, St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko and Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov are joining the Russia after being eliminated in the first round.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation said Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin wouldn’t be playing at the world championship because of injuries stemming from the regular season and playoffs. Ovechkin missed seven of eight games late in the season with what the team called a lower-body injury.

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The Associated Press