Day 8 at the 2026 IIHF World Championship was a busy one, with six games on the daily docket. Three of the Vancouver Canucks’ four representatives were in action, with both Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson suffering upset losses. Meanwhile, Filip Hronek and Czechia held on for a tight 3-2 victory over rival Slovakia.

It was a low-scoring affair through the opening 40 minutes, with Latvia scoring midway through the first period before the Americans equalized in the second.

But despite being heavily outshot throughout the contest, the Latvians exploded for three third-period goals to stun the United States 4-2. Overall, the Americans carried a commanding 47-22 edge in shots but struggled to solve the Latvian netminder.

Sasson, alongside linemates Paul Cotter and Mathieu Olivier, was dropped to the fourth line but still logged 14:36 of ice time, which happens to be his second-highest total of the tournament.

The United States has struggled to find consistency at this year’s event, managing just one regulation win and one shootout victory through five games. They currently sit sixth in Pool A with a 1-1-0-3 record.

Hronek and Czechia held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory after Roman Červenka scored the eventual game-winner midway through the third period in what was another heated chapter of the Czech-Slovak rivalry.

The Slovaks held a noteworthy 30-18 edge in shots, but Czechia got the last laugh, leapfrogging them in the standings.

As has become customary throughout the tournament, Hronek was leaned on heavily in all situations. Not only was he the only player in the game to eclipse the 20-minute mark, but he also logged a tournament-high 27:45 of ice time. He finished the game as a minus-1 as Czechia improved to 4-0-1-0 and climbed into second place in Pool B.

The biggest surprise of the day came in Sweden’s matchup against Norway.

The Norwegians opened the scoring in the first period before the teams traded goals throughout the remainder of the contest. Norway eventually grabbed the lead midway through the third period and held on for the upset despite being significantly outshot 34-14.

Norway has quietly become one of the tournament’s surprise stories and now leapfrogs Sweden for fourth place in Pool B with a 3-0-1-1 record through five games.

Karlsson remained on Sweden’s second line alongside Emil Heineman and Jacob de la Rose. Held off the scoresheet for a second consecutive game, he still generated plenty offensively, recording five shots while finishing minus-1 in 14:34 of ice time.

Sweden now sits fifth in Pool B with a 3-0-0-3 record through six games.

All three skaters will enjoy Sunday off, leaving Aatu Räty and Finland as the lone Canucks-related team in action against Austria.

Hronek and Sasson return to action Monday, while Karlsson and Sweden will next play Tuesday.