Another former Edmonton Oiler has made their presence felt in the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Patrick Russell, who previously played with the Oilers from 2018 to 2021, scored twice while adding an assist during Denmark's 4-0 win over Slovenia.
The win helped Denmark completely flip the picture in the Group B relegation battle. Not only does the win give Denmark an all-important tiebreaker over Slovenia, but it also puts them three points ahead of Italy, who sits in last place in Group B and would be relegated to Division 1 A if the preliminary round ended today.
For Slovenia, what seemed to be a solid start to the tournament has quickly turned into a nightmare scenario. After securing points in two of their first three games, Slovenia's point total has not changed since and they now find themselves in a relegation battle with Denmark and Italy.
Slovenia vs Denmark recap
That said, Slovenia did well to keep Denmark off the board for the first 25 minutes of action. But former San Jose Sharks winger Joachim Blichfeld recorded Denmark's first goal of the game during a second-period power play, with Skelleftea AIK forward Mikkel Aagaard and HC Motor Ceske Budejovice forward Nick Olesen recording the assists on the goal.
Russell's first goal of the game came with almost a minute left in the second period and would put Denmark up 2-0. Aagaard added the secondary assist, which also acted as the third such assist he recorded during the tournament, while Fischtown Pinguins defenseman Phillip Bruggisser added the primary assist. Russell's second goal came with just under two minutes to play in the final frame, with Aagaard and Olesen recording the assists.
Aagaard would add his own goal with just 15 seconds left in the game to make the score 4-0 for Denmark; Russell and Olesen added the assists.
Relevant statistics and facts
With his three assists against Slovenia, Olesen is now part of a four-way tie for the tournament lead in assists. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, ZSC Lions forward Denis Malgin, and New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier are the other three players who sit atop the leaderboard.
Denmark bested Slovenia 30-13 in the shots on goal count.
Denmark converted their lone power play of the game, while Slovenia went 0-for-3 on the power play.
HK Olimpija Ljubljana netminder Lukas Horak saved 26 of the 29 shots he faced for a .893 save percentage. Belleville Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard was in net for Denmark, recording saves on each of the 13 shots that he faced.
What's next?
The relegation battle in Group B will reach its conclusion over the next two days.
On Sunday, Denmark will have the chance to confirm safety from relegation. A win of any kind against Italy on Sunday will see Denmark secure their place in the 2027 edition of the World Championship. That said, if Denmark were to lose, they would still be able to secure safety by beating Norway and simply matching what Slovenia does against Italy. Puck drop in the Denmark-Italy contest is set for 10:20 A.M. Eastern Time.
On Monday, Italy will take on Slovenia, with the winner very likely staying in the top division. If Italy were to win against Denmark, then a win of any kind against Slovenia would secure safety for Italy. If Italy loses to Denmark, then they will have to beat Slovenia in regulation to remain in the top division. Puck drop in that match will take place at 2:20 P.M. Eastern Time.
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