Canada tops Slovakia at worlds, pushes total to 17 points

FRIBOURG, Swizterland -- Captain Macklin Celebrini scored and Canada defeated Slovakia 5-1 after a four-goal burst in the final period at the ice hockey world championship on Sunday.

Celebrini, who led the San Jose Sharks in scoring this season with 115 points, John Tavares, Gabriel Vilardi and Ryan O'Reilly all recorded a two-point game for a goal and an assist, and Dylan Cozens also scored in Fribourg to help Canada win its sixth straight Group B game.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby set up Cozens to put Canada 1-0 up on a breakaway with 5:32 remaining in the opening period.

It was the fourth goal for Cozens and Crosby's seventh assist at the tournament.

In the middle period, Kristian Pospisil tied it 1-1 for Slovakia.

Canada wasted 1:16 of a 5-3 advantage early in the final period but jumped to a 5-1 lead with four goals scored before the midway point.

Vilardi restored a one-goal advantage on a power play 2:14 in the period and Tavares netted a backhand shot 2:40 later.

O'Reilly increased it to 4-1 with a short-handed goal for his fifth at the worlds 7:36 in and 1:45 later Celebrini scored his third in Switzerland from the top of the right circle.

Netminder Jet Greaves stopped 31 shots for Canada, as it now tops Group B with 17 points and faces Czechia (13 points) in its last group-stage game on Tuesday. Slovakia is on 11 points in third.

In Zurich, Finland made it six wins from six by beating Austria 5-2 to join Switzerland atop Group A with both teams on 18 points. Austria remains third on nine.

Britain relegated

Britain's return to the ice hockey world championship proved short-lived after Latvia blanked the newcomer 6-0.

The sixth straight defeat in Group A means Britain is relegated from the top division with a game left.

Britain returned to the top tier after a one-year absence but has failed to win a single point and scored only four goals and conceded 29 in its six games. Britain, which will play Germany on Monday in their final game, trails second-to-last Hungary by three points but lost their head-to-head encounter 5-0.

Italy secures a point

Another newcomer, Italy, still has a chance to survive after earning the first point in a 3-2 defeat to Denmark in a shootout in Fribourg.

Italy is two points behind Slovenia in Group B before they face each other on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.