WATCH: Horvat, Dobson Strike for Three Goals in Worlds’ Opener

The IIHF World Championship began for Team Canada on Saturday morning. Canada defeated Slovakia 4-0, thanks to two power-play goals from Bo Horvat and an additional power-play tally from Noah Dobson.

Horvat played left wing on Nathan MacKinnon’s line while Dobson skated with Mackenzie Weegar. Both had strong games overall and made their mark offensively. Both continue to try to raise their stock ahead of the 2026 Olympics.

Horvat’s Power Play Pair:

Horvat showed off his elite one-timer for Canada in a big way. Twice, MacKinnon found him in a soft spot, and twice Horvat buried it.

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That’s Horvat’s unofficial office on the ice. Right near the top of the circle, a couple steps in and a deceptively quick one-time release that doesn’t give a goalie a chance.

Horvat doubled his tally with a strikingly similar goal from a similar location on the man advantage.

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It’s eerie how similar the goals are. Both in the almost exact spot on the ice, both came off feeds from MacKinnon, who finished with three points. Horvat’s ideal debut, along with showing chemistry outside his natural position, better positions him for a potential Olympic roster spot push. Horvat played 19:38 today, fourth-most amongst forwards and only trailing MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, and Travis Konecny.

Dobson’s Third-Period Tally:

Dobson’s playing a major role on this team. He played 16:36, third-most on the defensive side, trailing Jared Spurgeon by 24 seconds and Brandon Montour by a couple more minutes.

His power-play goal is a pretty one, thanks to a gorgeous play by Macklin Celebrini.

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Dobson’s ability to fly up the ice and contribute in a rush chance is extremely valuable. It’s something he did not do enough of this season, and it showed in his final points tally.

Canada’s next game is tomorrow at 10:20 a.m. on the NHL Network. The United States won 5-0 yesterday, and plays just after dawn (6 a.m.) tomorrow.