McDavid, MacKinnon and Celebrini didn’t generate any scoring chances in their first shifts, but Cooper clearly liked what he saw.
Who wouldn’t?
Cooper returned to the same line at the start of the second period and you know what happened.
MacKinnon set up Celebrini in the slot and the 19-year-old hammered home a one-timer Akira Schmid to give Canada a 3-1 lead.
“These are two of the best players in the world, two legends who are in the prime of their careers,” Celebrini said. “It’s easy to play with them when they’re buzzing.”
In the third period, they connected again.
Celebrini, just out of the penalty box, forechecked aggressively to recover the puck. He did it. He passed it to McDavid, who caught the attention of the Swiss, and after putting the puck on net, MacKinnon, alone, scored the rebound to give Canada a 5-1 lead at 13:03.
“After the goal, Connor immediately said to ‘Mack,’ it’s all him, it’s all a forecheck,” MacKinnon said. “Take that bump, slide it into Connor like it’s an elite play. It’s a very tough play. It’s not the flashiest play ever, but it’s a tough play to make. Obviously Connor leads the net, he’s got three guys on him and everyone forgets about me. It’s just a treat to play with those two.”
