After all, five Oilers players were off on Tuesday, and three players returned to action on Wednesday afternoon. Isaac Howard’s USA took on Josh Samanski’s Germany, while Mattias Ekholm’s Sweden took on Slovenia.

Let’s take a look at how the three players performed.

Germany vs. USA

Just a minute into the game, Germany took a 1-0 lead as Mortiz Seider beat Devin Cooley for the game’s opening goal. Samanski picked up an assist on this goal. However, Howard scored his third of the tournament with just over five to play in the first, with the game being at a deadlock after 20 minutes.

TSN

@TSN_Sports

·Follow

What a response from Isaac Howard! 🇺🇸⚡ He lifts the puck into the net to even things at 1-1 against Germany. #MensWorlds

Watch on X

6:48 PM · May 20, 2026

Read 3 replies

Five minutes into the second period, Howard picked up an assist on Max Sasson’s goal, his fourth point of the tournament. It was all Germany for the rest of the second period, as Frederik Tiffels scored midway through the middle frame, then Marc Michaelis scored to give them a 3-2 lead after 40.

There was some controversy surrounding USA’s game-tying goal with just under six to play in the game, as it looked like Philipp Grubauer covered the puck. Unfortunately for the Germans,there was no whistle, the puck came loose, and Tommy Novak buried it to send the game to overtime.

The extra five minutes solved nothing, setting up a five-round shootout. Shooting first for Germany was Samanski, and he was the lone German to beat Cooley. Howard lost control of his shot, but both Matt Coronato and Ryan Leonard scored on their opportunities, giving the Americans a 4-3 overtime win.

Howard led the Americans in scoring with his goal and assist. He also fired three first period shots and was a +2 over his 15 minutes of ice time. Samanski was an even 0 in his 17 minutes of ice time, firing two shots on goal and winning six of the 16 faceoffs he took (37.5%).

Sweden vs. Slovenia

At the same time as the USA’s game, Sweden was taking on Slovenia in Group B action. As expected, the Swedes were the victors, defeating the Slovenians 6-0.

Three minutes into the game, Lucas Raymond opened the scoring, and then in the final minute of the first period, Ekholm picked up an assist on Jacob de la Rose’s goal.

Their final four goals came in the second period, with de la Rose and Raymond scoring their second, while Robert Hagg buried one as well. To cap off the scoring, Ekholm scored his third of the tournament, as he now has the same stat line as Howard in this tournament.

TSN

@TSN_Sports

·Follow

This one is all Sweden, Ekholm makes it 6-0. #MensWorlds

Watch on X

7:40 PM · May 20, 2026

Read 1 reply

With a blowout victory, the Swedes only deployed Ekholm for about 16 and a half minutes, where he was a +3 with a shot on goal. He was one of five Swedes with two or more points as well.

Other notes…

There was no Day 5 recap, as no Oiler played on Tuesday. Austria beat Latvia 3-1, Norway beat Italy 4-0, Hungary beat Great Britain 5-0, and Slovakia defeated Slovenia 5-4 in a shootout. None of those teams, aside from maybe Slovakia, are medal contenders. The two other games on Wednesday saw Switzerland smash the Austrians 9-0, while Czechia beat Italy 3-1.

Only two Oiler players will be back in action on Thursday, as Canada’s Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse take on Norway at 8:20 a.m. MT. Other games on tap see Finland matchup with Latvia, Great Britain facing the Swiss, and Slovakia taking on Denmark.

As for the three players that were in action today, Germany plays Hungary on Friday at 8:20 a.m. MT (the same time as Canada’s matchup with Slovenia). Sweden plays Italy at 12:20 p.m. MT on Friday, while the Americans return to action on Saturday at 4:20 a.m. MT.