Canada routs Finland in world junior hockey

Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Canada routed defending champion Finland, 5-0, Saturday in Ostrava, Czech Republic, to set up a final against Russia at the world junior hockey championship.

Connor McMichael, Jamie Drysdale and Ty Dellandrea also scored and goaltender Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots to shut out the Finns.

The 18-year-old center, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick at the 2020 NHL draft, recovered from a left knee injury he sustained against Russia in the team’s second group-stage game, which the Russians won, 6-0. He missed the following two games against Germany and the Czech Republic.

Skiing

Mikaela Shiffrin’s winning streak in slaloms, which had lasted for almost a year, was ended by Petra Vlhova in the first women’s World Cup race of 2020 in Zagreb, Croatia. Building on a big lead from the first leg, Vlhova was the fastest in the final run to extend her advantage over the American three-time overall champion to 1.32 seconds. Shiffrin had won all six World Cup races and the world championship since Vlhova previously beat her Jan. 8, 2019 in Flachau, Austria.

Soccer

The U.S. men’s team canceled its plan to train in Doha, Qatar, from Jan. 5-25 “due to the developing situation in the region.” The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the decision a day after a U.S. military air strike killed a top Iranian military commander. The Americans will move training to a site in the United States.

Tennis

Novak Djokovic voiced concerns about the impact of the wildfires in Australia on the season-opening major, saying organizers may have to consider delaying the tournament if conditions around Melbourne deteriorate. The event is scheduled to start Jan. 20.