Isaac rifles it off the post 🚨 #MensWorlds
Nation Sites
The Nation Network
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
2026 IIHF World Championship Day 3: Ekholm scores, Howard strikes twice

May 17, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: May 17, 2026, 18:27 EDT
For the first time in the 2026 IIHF World Championship, Canada had a day off.
However, there were still Edmonton Oilers players in action, as Isaac Howard’s United States took on Great Britain in the early game, Mattias Ekholm’s Sweden took on Denmark in the afternoon game, and Josh Samanski’s Germany took on Latvia in the late game.
Two of the three players scored on Sunday, so let’s see how each of them did.
USA vs. Great Britain
Starting at 4:20 a.m. MT, the Americans soundly defeated Great Britain, picking up a 5-1 victory for their first victory of the tournament.
More importantly, Howard was the American’s best player, scoring twice in the victory. Paul Cotter opened the scoring with six to play in the first, but Great Britain got it back midway through the second. With three to play, Howard scored his first of the tournament, which turned out to be the game-winner.
Taking a 2-1 lead into the third, USA dominated the final 20 minutes. Mathieu Olivier extended their lead to two early, then Declan Carlile scored just 15 seconds later for a 4-1 lead. On a power play with four to go, Howard scored his second of the game.
Howard finished with 14 minutes of ice time, managing three shots on goal and finishing as a +1. After a strong game in the States’ opening game of the tournament, he was their best player on Sunday.
Sweden vs Denmark
Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm was named as Sweden’s best player in their 5-3 loss to Canada on Friday, thanks to his first of the tournament. Well, the veteran scored again, this time midway through the first to open the scoring.
WHAT A SHOT! 💥 Mattias Ekholm BLASTS one and opens the scoring! 🇸🇪 #MensWorlds
With three to play in the first, Oliver Ekman-Larsson extended Sweden’s lead to two. Six minutes into the second, Lucas Raymond scored to make it 3-0, then Jakob Silfverberg extended the lead to four.
Denmark finally got on the board with just over eight to play in the middle frame, but top draft prospect Viggo Björck, restored Sweden’s four-goal lead. The two teams exchanged goals in the third, but Sweden came out on top by a final score of 6-2.
Ekholm played just under 20 minutes, third-most on Sweden. The left-shot defenceman finished with two shots and was a +1 over 27 shifts.
Latvia vs. Germany
Josh Samanski’s Germany were shut out 2-0 against Latvia. Mārtiņš Dzierkals scored late in the first, then former NHL’er Rūdolfs Balcers extended their lead to two early in the second.
It was a fairly even game, with Germany outshooting Latvia 25 to 22. Samanski finished with four shots, tied for the most for any German skater.
Other notes…
Slovakia defeated Italy 4-1 in Group B’s early game, giving them two wins in their first two games. Austria defeated Hungary by a score of 4-2 in a Habsburg rematch. Finally, Slovenia were unable to cause another upset, falling 4-0 to Norway.
All five Oilers players will be back in action on Monday. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard suit up for Canada’s game against Denmark, which has a start time of 8:20 a.m. MT. At the same time, USA takes on Finland in one of the better matchups in the round-robin phase.
Then in the late games, Sweden takes on Czechia in Group B action at 12:20 p.m. MT, while Germany takes on Switzerland at the same time in Group A action.
Past recaps
- 2026 IIHF World Championship Day 1: Oilers’s Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm shine
- 2026 IIHF World Championship Day 2: Evan Bouchard scores as Canada shuts out Italy
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
Breaking News
- Letters to the Editor: Kent Johnson is a perfect trade target for Oilers
- 2026 IIHF World Championship Day 3: Ekholm scores, Howard strikes twice
- Sunday Scramble: Butch Cassidy and the Permission Leak
- Why Bruce Cassidy may struggle to fix Oilers’ Trent Frederic
- Kasperi Kapanen had a productive second season in Edmonton: Oilers 2025-26 player review
