USA vs. Canada, WJC 2013: Americans lose, face must-win Monday

The Americans haven’t been able to pick up solid second-chance opportunities and haven’t been able to get bodies in front of Subban’s crease. They’ll have to do that if they have any chance of putting two pucks in the net during the third period, but with the way Canada is controlling the entire ice between the dots, it won’t be an easy task.

Gibson made nine saves in the period, many of them on breakaway or fantastic Canadian opportunities at the net. The USA defense was absolutely brutal in the period, starting with No. 1 d-man Seth Jones, and Gibson bailed them out more than they deserved. The Americans cannot match the offensive firepower of the Canadians, so they must rely on their strong defense and quality goaltending to have a chance in the game. Half of that puzzle came together in the first.

Canada and the United States are set to renew their hockey rivalry this Sunday morning in Ufa, Russia as they battle in the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championship. The game begins at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time, or 3:30 p.m. Ufa time.

Canada comes into the game undefeated in the tournament so far thanks to a convincing win over Germany and a come-from-behind triumph over Slovakia. A win would guarantee them a spot in the medal round. USA comes into the game with a 1-1 record so far in the tournament with an equally convincing win over the Germans and a closely-fought loss to gold-medal contender Russia. A loss on Sunday against Canada would put the USA in a must-win situation against Slovakia on Monday.

Team USA will challenge Team Canada in the round-robin stage of the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, on Sunday morning.

Team USA will be entering the contest following a defeat at the hands of Team Russia on Friday by a final score of 2-1. After allowing Russia to take an early lead, Team USA responded at the midway mark of the second period. With the game tied at one entering the final frame, Team Russia took a one-goal lead early in the period, which ultimately proved to be enough to register a regulation win.