Norway, Hungary record IIHF shutouts

Norway and Hungary delivered shutout wins on May 19 at the IIHF Men’s World Championship in Switzerland, adding pressure to the preliminary-round standings with the knockout phase approaching. Daily Faceoff reported that Norway beat Italy 3-0 and that Hungary also recorded a shutout, over Great Britain, on Tuesday. Austria stayed unbeaten by moving to 3-0 against Latvia, while Slovakia needed a shootout to get past Slovenia, according to Daily Faceoff. IIHF standings published after Tuesday’s games showed Austria on nine points in Group A, behind Switzerland and Finland on goal difference, while Hungary moved to fourth in the group on three points. In Group B, Norway rose to fourth on six points, behind Canada, Slovakia and Czechia. The official tournament schedule shows group play continuing through May 26 in Zurich and Fribourg before the knockout rounds. (dailyfaceoff.com) ### Which shutout changed Norway’s position? Norway’s 3-0 win over Italy gave it a second victory of the tournament and kept it in a playoff position, Daily Faceoff reported. The outlet said Eskild Bakke Olsen scored in the first period, Noah Steen made it 2-0 at 31:40, and defenseman Christian Kaasastul added the third goal in the second period. (iihf.com) Henrik Haukeland finished the shutout for Norway, which Daily Faceoff said had already beaten Slovenia 4-0 on May 17 and lost 2-1 to Slovakia on May 16. Italy fell to 0-3 and remained at the bottom of Group B, according to the IIHF schedule and standings pages. ### How did Hungary move into the Group A race? Hungary’s shutout of Great Britain lifted it above the United States and Latvia in the Group A table, according to the official IIHF standings published after May 19 play. (dailyfaceoff.com) The IIHF home page highlighted the result with the line “Hungary’s Balizs shuts out Great Britain,” identifying goaltender Bence Balizs as a central figure in the win. Bleacher Report said Hungary “leapfrogged the United States in the standings” as the preliminary round continued in Switzerland. That left Hungary fourth in Group A on three points, level with the United States and Latvia but ahead on tiebreak criteria reflected in the IIHF table. ### Why were Austria and Slovakia part of the same day’s story? (iihf.com) Austria improved to 3-0 with a win over Latvia on Tuesday, Daily Faceoff reported, extending the best start among the teams outside the traditional tournament favorites that were idle that day. The IIHF standings showed Austria with 12 goals scored and five allowed through three games. (bleacherreport.com) Slovakia needed a shootout to beat Slovenia, Daily Faceoff said, and the result moved Slovakia to eight points in Group B. The IIHF standings placed Slovakia second in the group behind Canada and ahead of Czechia after the May 19 slate. ### What comes next on the tournament schedule? The IIHF schedule lists four games for May 20: Austria against Switzerland and Czechia against Italy at 16:20 local time, followed by the United States against Germany and Sweden against Slovenia at 20:20. (dailyfaceoff.com) Switzerland and Austria enter that matchup tied on nine points in Group A, according to the official standings. May 21 brings another set of group-stage games, including Canada against Norway and Denmark against Slovakia. (dailyfaceoff.com) The preliminary round runs through May 26, with quarterfinal places decided from the group standings in Switzerland. (iihf.com)