Canada downs Finland 5-0

Tyson Jost and Taylor Raddysh each scored twice as Canada downed Finland 5-0 in a pre-tournament game Monday night ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Mathew Barzal also scored as Canada beat Veini Vehvilainen four times on 16 shots in the opening frame before a crowd that filled most of the lower bowl at the Bell Centre.

Carter Hart made 25 saves for the shutout while Canada fired 30 at Finland’s net.

It was the first meeting between the two junior teams since Finland eliminated Canada in the quarter-finals of last year’s world junior event in Helsinki.

This year’s world juniors opens Dec. 26 in Montreal and Toronto.

It took only 11 seconds for Jost to score as he put the rebound of Julien Gauthier’s shot into an open side.

Raddysh picked up Barzal’s breakout pass at his own blue line and blew past defenceman Robin Salo to go in alone and score at 1:39.

Barzal came out from behind the net and slipped a backhand between Vehvilainen’s pads at 14:28.

A Canadian power play had just ended when Nicolas Roy won a faceoff in the Finland zone and Gauthier tipped the puck back to Jost to score from the slot at 17:46.

The Finns woke up in the second frame but could not beat Hart, who was sharp on a pair of close-in chances from Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist.

Dillon Dube provoked a turnover in the Finland zone and set up Raddysh in front for his second of the game at 10:06 of the third.

Canada took seven minor penalties but killed each one. While Canada has six eligible players away in the NHL, including Connor McDavid and Mitch Marner, Finland is also hurting with Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho and Jesse Puljujarvi already in the NHL.