Denmark stuns Canada at worlds, Nylander's Swedes top Kampf's Czechs

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Woe Canada, make that two huge maple leaf letdowns in five days.

After Toronto’s playoff-cursed NHL entry dropped another Great White North entry from the Stanley Cup tournament, star-studded Team Canada was stunned 2-1 by underdog Denmark Thursday, eliminated in the quarterfinal stage of the world men’s hockey championship.

A group that included Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby couldn’t click on four power-play chances through the game. When Travis Sanheim did score, the Danes didn’t fold, while Nicolaj Ehlers and Nick Olesen scored in the final 2:17, Olesen in the final minute on Jordan Binnington. That sent the arena in Herning, Denmark, into a frenzy and a lusty version of the national anthem followed.

Frederik Dichow made 38 saves for Denmark, which will meet Switzerland in one semifinal, while the United States takes on Sweden. Canada had played all its games in co-host Stockholm and clearly struggled on the unfamiliar ice of a converted convention centre where Denmark had been for a couple of weeks.

Canada lost in the quarterfinals at this event for the first time in 10 tries going back to 2015.

“They had us on our heels and we didn’t respond the right way,” Canadian forward Ryan O’Reilly told TSN. “Tough for us travelling here on a back-to-back (after facing Sweden in Stockholm) and we didn’t have our normal jump. But we had a chance to win.

“We have guys like Flower here (retiring alternate goalie Marc-Andre Fleury) and we wanted to win it for him. We let them hang around. You put this jersey on, you expect to win. No one feels good now.”

It’s a top-four finish for the first time in Denmark’s history, but to claim a medal, the team will have to win at least one game in Stockholm on the weekend.

“Just disappointing, we had a great group here,” Crosby said. “We had all the things to make a deeper run.”

The Canadian management group was headed by former Leaf-turned-Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.

WILLY WIN A MEDAL?

In the end it was William Nylander, not Maple Leafs teammate David Kampf, who was rewarded for a long haul flight to Europe to play for his country at the worlds.

Nylander didn’t score in Sweden’s 5-2 quarterfinal win Thursday over defending champion Czechia, but wasn’t needed in that regard and gets to play again. Kampf, who was itching to keep going after being used in just one playoff game by Toronto, saw some rare power play action Thursday.

Lucas Raymond scored twice for the Swedes, and former Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin had two assists. Nylander was placed right on the first line with centre William Karlsson and Raymond.

“It was not a fun way to end our (Leafs) season, so I thought it would be a good time to come here,” Nylander said. “Playing in Sweden, it doesn’t get any better than that.”

NET RESULTS

While longtime first-line partners Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could be splitting up, the Leafs have the rare instance of bringing back the same two goalies without a cloud of question marks regarding one or the other’s health or ability.

Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll won 21 and 27 games in regular season, respectively, the first Leafs netminders with multiple playoff victories since the last Cup year of Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk.

“He’s generally a pretty awesome dude. I enjoy being a friend and teammate before anything else,” Woll said of Stolarz this week. “Within a team, you want all your relationships to be good. Within a goalie tandem, that’s even more important.”

Other than being Americans, there was little in common between the two last autumn, with an age difference of five years with the senior Stolarz.

“Myself and Woller were able to push each other all season, we had a great relationship,” Stolarz said. “I look forward to the opportunity to come back with him next year.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Leafs forward prospect Easton Cowan and the London Knights open their Memorial Cup schedule this weekend, facing the Quebec League  champion Moncton Wildcats on Saturday and the host Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday …  Some final Leafs locker clean-out day quotes, starting with Matthews: “This one stings the most. One game away from being in the final four, the Eastern Conference final. The idea that you’re that close to being that close, that one definitely stings.” And Stolarz: “It sucks the way the season ended, but you get that fire in your belly in the summer and just want to get ready for next season. You’re already planning your summer training. Nothing you can do now, just worry about the future.”

Lhornby@postmedia.com

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