U.S. stays perfect at hockey worlds; Canada falls

TAMPERE, Finland — The United States shut out Denmark 3-0 on Saturday to stay perfect at the ice hockey world championship.

Alex Tuch scored one goal and added two assists as the United States earned its fifth victory in five games.

Cutter Gauthier broke the deadlock midway through the final period on a power play before Tuch doubled the advantage and Rocco Grimaldi finished it off with an empty-net goal.

Goaltender Casey DeSmith stopped 22 shots for the shutout.

The Americans lead Group A with 15 points and have secured a spot in the quarterfinals. The top four teams from the two eight-team groups advance to the knockout stage.

In the Latvian capital of Riga, the Czech Republic beat Norway 2-0 to go top of Group B and earn a spot in the final eight.

Dominik Kubalik scored the opening goal with a slap shot on a power play for the Czechs to lead the scoring table with seven goals.

Later Saturday, Canada is in action against Switzerland in Group B and Latvia plays Kazakhstan. In Group A, it’s defending champion Finland against Austria and Sweden versus France.