RIGA, Latvia — Gerard Gallant will be a prime candidate for several NHL coaching positions when he returns from the world hockey championships.
But Team Canada’s coach has an uphill climb overseas first. Especially after his club fell to 0-3 in the preliminary round.
Germany defeated Canada 3-1 on Monday to remain undefeated through three games and push Gallant’s crew further down the standings. Arizona Coyotes goaltender Adin Hill allowed two goals on 24 shots for Canada, and Ottawa Senators forward Nick Paul scored the team’s lone goal, which was just Canada’s second of the entire tournament.
Gallant, the former coach of the Florida Panthers who led the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018, is a coaching free agent, and already interviewed with the New York Rangers before leaving for Latvia.
With the NHL postseason in full swing, and several players from eliminated teams declining invites for the worlds, Gallant was in store for a challenge in Latvia anyway. But, all that said, Canada — with its rich tradition in international play — isn’t used to being tied for last place in the Group B standings.
Stefan Loibl and Matthias Plachta scored and ex-NHL defenseman Korbinian Holzer added an empty-net goal for Germany, which is at the top of Group B.
Host Latvia beat Italy 3-0 to improve to 2-1-0. Martins Karsmus, who played 24 NHL games more than a decade ago, scored twice for Latvia, which got the tournament after the IIHF moved it from nearby Belarus.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik scored the overtime winner for the Czech Republic, which beat Belarus 3-2. Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina also scored for the Czech Republic, and New Jersey Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich had a goal for Belarus.
Russia lost 3-1 to Slovakia but will be getting reinforcements from the NHL. Following quarantine and virus testing, St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko and Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov are joining the Russia after being eliminated in the first round.
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation said Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will not play at the world championship because of injuries stemming from the regular season and playoffs. Ovechkin missed seven of eight games late in the season with what the team called a lower-body injury.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.