Jeff Skinner scored two goals, one on a penalty shot, as Canada remained perfect at the World Hockey Championship by beating France 9-1 Sunday in Kosice, Slovakia.
Skinner, a finalist for the Calder Trophy after a 31-goal, 63-point rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes, capped Canada’s three-goal first period by beating French goaltender Cristobal Huet 12:02 into the game. His penalty-shot goal came during Canada’s four-goal third period.
"We've been together a couple of weeks now and we've been developing some chemistry," Skinner told the IIHF website. "In a game like this, it's a good time to develop good habits and to figure out where everyone fits in on the ice. We also talk a lot on the bench and that's a good time to figure things out."
Seven other players also scored goals and Toronto rookie James Reimer made 32 saves for Canada, which improved to 2-0-0, good for six points and first place in the Group B standings.
In Sunday’s other early game, Russia broke 4-4 tie when Alexander Radulov scored with 3:41 remaining in the third period and beat Slovenia 6-4. The Russians, who lost to Germany in their opener, saw a 4-2 third-period lead disappear on goals by Bostjan Golicic and Rok Pajic before Radulov put them in front to stay. Sergei Zinoviev added an insurance goal with 30 seconds remaining.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.