Norway beats Denmark to claim first points of the tournament

Denmark, without any NHL stars, lost 0:2 to Norway. The Norwegians were better for most of the game and deservedly won. The result, however, messes up the relegation math for both teams, as both have 3 points and any possible win by Austria or Great Britain would put them back in the relegation battle.

First period

The opening period didn’t offer too many interesting situations for the fans in Prague’s O2 arena. There was a sense of importance in the match, as both teams are more at risk of possible relegation than any surprise success. The goalkeepers were forced to make a few saves, but none of them were difficult.

Perhaps the most entertaining passage came at the end of the period when the Danes played a power play after veteran Patrick Thoresen was sent off. They shot like crazy from all possible positions, but only 2 shots went on goal, most of them were blocked by the dedicated Norwegians.

Second period

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, 18 years old, opened the scoring in what was, to the unbiased fan’s eye, an uninteresting game. After a quick foray into attack in the 8th minute of the second period, he was set up by the star Mats Zuccarello in a great shooting position at the edge of the circles. The Danish goalie was completely out of chances.

Norway took over the game in the second period and Denmark started to dominate. The dominance of the Norwegians in the middle part of the game is evidenced by the shooting balance in this part of the game, in which Norway produced even 10 more shots (7-17) than the opponent.

Denmark’s most productive player, Mathias From, had the best chance, already getting past the last Norwegian defender who stopped him. However, it is worth mentioning that he went around 2 opposing players on his way to the net and only the next one took the puck away from him.

The last part of the game was the same as the previous one. The Norwegians were more active on the puck and the Danes rarely got into scoring positions. The Norwegians, on the other hand, had a few promising opportunities that lacked precision.

Third period

The third period brought an interesting moment at the end. Patrick Thoresen drove aggressively into the crease and made the Danish goalie’s job more difficult. Frederik Dichow Nissen made a great save that was scrutinized for a long time on video for a possible crossing of the goal line. The referees could not find any conclusive shots.

Denmark didn’t even get much pressure at the very end. Norway defended the middle zone well and the Danes were unable to pass the ball properly. Eirik Salsten crowned Norway’s great performance with his 1st goal of the tournament.

Source: Ice Hockey World Championship 2024