Canada routs United States to open World Championship

Canada’s players celebrate their goal against the United States during the Hockey World Championship. (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)

CANADIAN PRESS   MAY 6, 2016, 11:45 AM

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Canada made a strong start to its defence of its world hockey championship title, scoring five unanswered goals in a 5-1 win over the United States on Friday.

Taylor Hall, Brendan Gallagher, Matt Duchene, Boone Jenner and Brad Marchand, short-handed, scored for Canada.

Cam Talbot made 24 saves and kept the Canadians in the game with strong goaltending, particularly when the Americans surged early in the second period.

Patrick Maroon opened the scoring for the Americans with a first-period power-play goal, and Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves.

This year's world championship presents an opportunity for players who were left off preliminary rosters for September's World Cup of Hockey to make their cases for inclusion when each team's final seven names are announced on June 1.

All of Canada's goal-scorers have solid national team pedigrees and are making an effort to impress national team brass.

Hall and Duchene were both members of the gold medal-winning Canadian world championship squad last year in Prague, while Gallagher and Jenner were both part of the bronze medal-winning world junior team in 2012. Marchand is a two-time world junior gold-medallist.

The game also provided a preview of a matchup that could dominate NHL headlines in years to come. St. Petersburg's 6,000-seat Yubileiny Arena was filled near capacity to watch Canada's Connor McDavid, the first pick at the 2015 NHL draft, go head-to-head against U.S. centre Auston Matthews, projected to be chosen first by the Toronto Maple Leafs in June.

Neither player got on the scoresheet as sparks failed to fly in the anticipated matchup. Neither player had a point Matthews was held to three shots on goal and had a minus-1 defensive rating, while McDavid failed to register a shot.

After leaving the game in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury, American defenceman Jake McCabe returned to action midway through the game.

In the tournament's other bracket in Moscow, Sweden defeated Latvia 2-1 in overtime. Russia faced the Czechs later in Moscow, and Finland met Belarus in St. Petersburg.

Canada will next face Hungary on Sunday, while the Americans return to action on Saturday against Belarus.