Finland Hands Canada First Loss in Shootout at IIHF Worlds

Finland handed Canada its first loss at the 2025 IIHF World Championship with a 2-1 shootout victory, ending Canada's five-game winning streak. Ryan O’Reilly scored for Canada early in the second period, but Patrik Puistola tied the game for Finland in the third, forcing overtime. Finnish goaltender Juuse Saros was pivotal, stopping 37 shots during regulation and four more in the shootout, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves for Canada. Despite Canada dominating much of the game and controlling the pace, Finland's resilience and key plays, including a shorthanded goal and a crucial point shot by Nikolas Matinpalo, allowed them to secure the win. The shootout saw Eeli Tolvanen score the winning goal for Finland, with Kent Johnson scoring Canada's only shootout goal. Both teams had already qualified for the quarterfinals, but the outcome affected Group A standings, with Canada needing a regulation win in their next match against Sweden to claim the top seed.