Team Canada defeats France at men’s hockey world championship

Team Canada took down France 5-0 for its third game of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, taking place at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Canadians shut out Slovenia 4-0 to open their tournament on Saturday, followed by a 7-1 win over Latvia on Sunday.

Goaltender Jordan Binnington got his first start of the tournament for the Canadians, with fellow netminders Dylan Garand and Marc-André Fleury starting the first and second games for Team Canada, respectively. Fleury joined the team in Sweden just days after his official retirement from the NHL. 

READ: What you need to know about Team Canada at the men’s world hockey championship 

With an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup to his name, a win by Team Canada at the world championship would propel Fleury into the elusive triple-gold club. Should Team Canada win, captain Sidney Crosby would officially have a double-triple-gold, thanks to his two Olympic gold medals, three Stanley Cups, and the 2015 IIHF worlds title he already has to his name from the last time he played in the tournament.

Binnington held the net for Team Canada for the entirety of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that captured the nation’s attention in February.

READ: Team Canada wins 4 Nations Face-Off in overtime, defeating Team USA

Bo Horvat got the scoring started for the Canadians at 6:32, getting one past French goaltender Julian Junca off of a nice set up from Tyson Foerster. In honour of the tournament taking place in Sweden, Team Canada has Swedish group ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” as their goal song.

Will Cuylle was the next to get on the scoresheet at 12:11, assisted by Kent Johnson and Team Canada assistant captain Ryan O’Reilly.

The first period closed out with a score of 2-0, with Team Canada outshooting Team France 14-6.

READ: What are the differences between NHL, PWHL, and Olympic hockey rules?

The second period saw Captain Canada find the back of the net for the first time in this edition of the tournament. Crosby struck on the powerplay after French player Pierre Crinon took a penalty for cross-checking. Crosby was assisted by Brandon Montour.

After 40 minutes of play, Team Canada went to the dressing room with a 3-0 lead, with shots at 24-10.

Team Canada notched another powerplay goal as Horvat scored his second of the game after French player Jules Boscq took a penalty for high sticking. Horvat was assisted by Travis Konecny and Nathan MacKinnon.

Montour brought the Canadians up to a 5-0 lead off a long shot with some spin on it that slipped past Junca. Montour was assisted by Barrett Hayton and Brayden Schenn.

With a final score of 5-0, and shots 36-15, Team Canada remains undefeated in the tournament. Bo Horvat was awarded player of the game.

Canada will next take on Austria on Thursday, May 15 at 2:20 ET.