The United States got past the French tonight in Ostrava, winning 5-0 and improving their record to 2-2 in the process. The three points moves the Americans into a tie with Latvia for third place in Group B, while France, now 1-3, stays in 6th spot with four points.
The victors got all but one of their goals in the first period, after which backup Quentin Papillon entered the game and was sensational for France over the final 40 minutes.
The U.S. started with four unanswered goals in the opening period and never looked back. Indeed, they scored 45 seconds after puck drop off a Brock Nelson shot from the slot that beat Julian Junca between the pads.
Less than three minutes later, it was 2-0. Matt Boldy got his first of two after Junca failed to clear the puck out of his zone and his shot from point-blank range found the net at 3:24. Boldy made it 3-0 midway through the period off another close-in chance, and then Johnny Gaudreau got his second on the tournament on another chance form the middle of the ice.
Coach Phikippe Bozon elected to sit Junca to start the second and give Quentin Papillon some playing time, his first minutes of the tournament. Wouldn’t you know, he stole the show in the second. Shots favoured the relentless Americans 23-3, but Papillon was perfect, making several excellent saves along the way, especially during the only two power plays of the period, both to the U.S.
France had its best scoring chance late in the third when Kevin Bozon stripped Jake Sanderson of the puck in front of the U.S. goal, but Alex Nedeljkovic was there to make the save. Moments later, the U.S. scored on a France turnover in its slot, Shane Pinto snapping a shot past a surprised Papillon.
The Americans are back at it tomorrow night against Poland while France has a day off before facing Slovakia on Saturday.
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