Day 7 at the 2026 IIHF World Championship saw both Aatu Räty and Linus Karlsson suit up for their fifth games of the tournament.

Riding a perfect 4-0-0-0 record entering the day, Finland was handed a relatively favourable matchup against winless Great Britain in the afternoon slate. Later in the evening, Sweden cruised to a 3-0 victory over Italy, continuing its climb in the Pool B standings.

It did not take long for the Finns to establish control and set the tone for the game, opening the scoring just 58 seconds into the first period.

Coming into the matchup, Räty had quietly been one of Finland’s most consistent offensive contributors, recording points (three goals, one assist) in each of his first four games. In the second period, he extended that streak to five games after handing the puck to Mikko Lehtonen for Finland’s third goal of the afternoon.

Finland added another marker in the third period to secure a comfortable 4-0 victory while outshooting Great Britain by a commanding 49-9 margin. With the win, the Finns remain one of only two undefeated teams through five games, alongside host Switzerland.

As for Räty, he finished with an assist, two shots, and a plus-2 rating in 13:26 of ice time.

While not quite as one-sided as Finland’s matchup earlier in the day, the Swedes handled Italy comfortably in a 3-0 victory while carrying a 34-12 edge in shots.

Draft-eligible star Ivar Stenberg stole the spotlight, scoring back-to-back goals while skating on Sweden’s top line alongside Viggo Björck and NHL winger Lucas Raymond. Stenberg now sits at six points (four goals, two assists) through five tournament games.

Björck continued his impressive tournament as well, collecting a pair of assists to raise his totals to four points (one goal, three assists) in five games. The duo has continued to stand out despite competing against some of the world’s best international talent.

Meanwhile, Karlsson remained on Sweden’s second line and was held off the scoresheet for just the second time this tournament. He recorded two shots in 16:11 of ice time.

Sweden now sits fourth in Pool B with a 3-0-0-2 record.

Karlsson joins Filip Hronek and Max Sasson back in action Saturday. First up is Sasson and Team USA against Latvia in the early slate, while Hronek and Czechia face rival Slovakia. Later in the day, Karlsson and Sweden will take on neighbouring rival Norway.

Räty and Finland return to action Sunday against Austria.

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