Canada Dominates France Behind Celebrini, Crosby, and a Relentless Attack
Canada came into this one with a clear mission: build up the goal differential and make a statement. And from the opening puck drop, they played like a team with something to prove.
Six minutes in, the Canadians were already outshooting France 6-2, and the pressure paid off when Macklin Celebrini drew a penalty after being hauled down by Pierre Crinon. The power play didn’t cash in, but it cracked the door open-and Tom Wilson kicked it down. Capitalizing on the momentum, Wilson found a loose puck in tight and buried it to open the scoring.
But France didn’t flinch. Just 13 seconds later, Colton Parayko’s turnover in the defensive zone gave France a golden chance, and Floran Douay pounced on the rebound to level the score at 1-1. It was a brief moment of celebration for the French side, but it came with a cost.
France got a little too aggressive, pushing for a second goal, and Canada made them pay. On a three-on-one rush, Sidney Crosby showed off his vision, dropping the puck back to a trailing Devon Toews, who restored the Canadian lead with a clean finish.
Then came the backbreaker. With just over a minute left in the first period, Travis Sanheim took a holding penalty behind the net, giving France a power play.
But it was Canada that struck. Mark Stone picked off an errant pass near his own blue line and took it the other way, flipping a slow-motion backhander past Julian Junca for a shorthanded dagger.
That made it 3-1 Canada heading into the intermission.
For a team looking to pad its goal differential, a two-goal lead after 20 minutes wasn’t quite enough. Canada knew it had more work to do-and it showed.
Early in the second, Celebrini again drew a penalty, this time getting hooked as he tried to break through the French defense. France’s penalty kill held strong again, with Junca doing just enough to keep things from unraveling further.
Still, Canada kept knocking. A two-on-one with Connor McDavid and Brandon Hagel nearly added to the lead, but Hagel’s shot rang off the post. That was a close call, but the next power play wouldn’t go to waste.
With Yohann Auvitu in the box for interference, Cale Makar took center stage. Given space at the top of the zone, Makar glided into the circle and unleashed a laser that beat Junca cleanly, stretching the lead to 4-1.
That goal lit a fire under the Canadians, who ramped up the pressure. Junca had to stand tall with a flurry of saves, but the dam was starting to crack.
With under three minutes left in the period, Celebrini was taken down on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. The 17-year-old didn’t hesitate-he came in with speed, shifted from backhand to forehand, and slid the puck through the narrowest of gaps between Junca’s arm and body.
Clinical. Confident.
Cold-blooded.
Then, just 19 seconds later, Crosby added another. Stone forced a turnover, fed his captain, and Crosby’s attempted pass deflected off a defender and trickled in past a wrong-footed Junca. Sometimes you earn your bounces, and Canada was rolling.
Up 6-1 heading into the third, Canada wasted no time putting the game even further out of reach. Just 20 seconds into the final frame, McDavid picked up the puck in his own zone, executed a slick give-and-go with Celebrini, and broke through the French defense to score on Antoine Keller, who had entered to start the period.
France answered quickly with a heavy slapshot from Sacha Treille that beat Jordan Binnington to make it 7-2, but the Canadians weren’t done yet.
Bo Horvat added an eighth goal moments later, cleaning up a rebound from a tight angle. Then Brandon Hagel made it nine, finishing a one-timer after a smart setup from Nathan MacKinnon, who drew the defense in before dishing it off.
MacKinnon took a high hit behind the net shortly after, leading to a quick review. The officials deemed it a minor, but Canada made the most of the ensuing power play. Celebrini, already with one goal on the night, got the puck at the right circle, danced into the slot with poise, and ripped home his second of the game to hit double digits.
Things got heated late. Tom Wilson went after Crinon in response to the earlier hit on MacKinnon, and both players dropped the gloves.
They each picked up roughing, fighting, and game misconduct penalties. MacKinnon, not content to let Wilson do all the talking, came out on his next shift throwing hits at anyone in a French jersey.
That earned him a two-minute breather in the box.
By the end of it, Canada had done what it came to do-win big and boost the goal differential. With a +17 margin now in hand, they’ve put the pressure squarely on Team USA, who’ll need a 10-goal win over Germany to leapfrog into first place. That’s a tall order against a tough German squad, but stranger things have happened in tournament play.
As for Canada, they look locked in, balanced, and dangerous. And with Macklin Celebrini playing like a veteran, Crosby leading by example, and the depth scoring firing on all cylinders, this team is starting to look like a juggernaut.