BRATISLAVA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia quickly bounced back after their 8-1 defeat by Switzerland to beat Denmark 2-0 on Saturday in the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, returning to the top of the Group A standings with 12 points.
Marian Studenic had a great opportunity to open the score for the Slovaks on a breakaway 11 minutes into the game, but the 22-year-old New Jersey Devils forward was denied by Denmark's goalie Sebastian Dahm.
The Danes increased their offensive efforts in the second period, only to get stopped by Slovakia's goalie Julius Hudacek, who saved well from Markus Lauridsen.
"Hudacek is a true professional. He was ready to step up after a tough match against the Swiss. He carried the team with good saves," praised Slovakia coach Craig Ramsay.
Compared to the previous fixture, the Slovaks significantly cut down on their penalty minutes and did not fall behind in the scoring department as a result.
Their discipline was rewarded in the 48th minute when Robert Lantosi sent the puck towards the goalie from a sharp angle and Dahm deflected it right in front of the lurking Peter Cehlarik who swept it in from close range.
The Danes tried to rally in the following minutes but were halted by a fault in the stadium lighting system. When play resumed after several minutes, it was the Slovaks who struck again. Adam Janosik grabbed Lantosi's rebound and sent a blistering slap shot from between the circles that Dahm had no chance of saving to make it 2-0. Enditem
