The IIHF World Championship kicked off yesterday, and a pair of Buffalo Sabres made their presence felt in their respective games.
The Buffalo Sabres have plenty of talent to showcase at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, with five players in the international tournament. Alex Tuch, however, may be the most intriguing, as the star player for what is a weak Team USA roster.
And he made his presence felt yesterday with a pair of goals (one empty-netter) against Team Finland. Both of Tuch’s goals came in the final 10 minutes, with the first occurring at the 52:57 mark. Rocco Grimaldi took a pass near the blue line from Drew O’Connor, and skated up the left circle. Once in front of the crease, Grimaldi’s drop-pass found Tuch, who scored easily, putting Team USA up 3-1. If you didn’t see the video for yourself, it’s worth the watch. Check it out below:
Alex Tuch tucks the puck into bed!🇺🇸🚨@usahockey now with the two-goal advantage! 1-3#FINUSA #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/Hi0O5XqDJS
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 12, 2023
A pair of Buffalo Sabres enjoyed solid outings in their IIHF openers
Then it was Peyton Krebs’ and Jack Quinn’s turn for Team Canada in a duel vs. Latvia. Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a duel, as Canada blanked them 6-0. But Krebs played a pivotal role in the first goal just 52 seconds into the contest, providing a helper on Lawson Crouse’s score.
Jack Quinn’s assist may have been the most memorable on an incredible pass to MacKenzie Weegar at the 28:17 mark to give Team Canada a 3-0 lead. Once again, if you missed it, this is an assist you’ll want to check out.
Jack Quinn makes a great pass to Mackenzie Weegar, who uses Cody Glass as a screen to make it 3-0 Canada. #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/PJqcsNwWNb
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) May 12, 2023
So far, it’s been smooth sailing for our Sabres reps at the IIHF Worlds. Tuch will need to keep carrying Team USA, while Quinn, Krebs, and Devon Levi are playing for a hot Team Canada whose blowout win yesterday probably won’t be its last of the tournament.
Both teams continue their play tomorrow when the US faces off with Hungary, and Canada goes head-to-head with Slovenia. Let’s see if our Buffalo Sabres reps can keep things trending north for their respective teams.
(Statistics provided by IIHF.com)