photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored just 13 seconds into overtime to give Norway a 4-3 win over Denmark this afternoon at BCF Arena in Fribourg. He moved into the slot and snapped a high shot past Nicolaj Henriksen for the win.
The goal tied the World Championship record for fastest overtime goal, first set by Roman Wick (SUI) in 2009 and tied by John Tavares (CAN) in 2024.
The win puts Norway into second place in Group B with 15 points, the most ever for Norway since the current preliminary round format was adopted in 2012. However, with the OT win and loss of a third point, they now have to watch the Canada-Czechia game tonight to see where they finish.
If Czechia wins in regulation, the Czechs will move up and finish second ahead of Norway. Any other result will give Norway second and a more favourable, 3rd-place opponent from Group A in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
"The team has been playing well all through the group stage," said Norway defender Stian Solberg. "It's our best result, which is great for us. We're ready for the playoffs. We beat Czech and Sweden, took Canada to overtime, had a tight game against Slovakia, and then we won the two games we knew we had to win, against Slovenia and Italy. And today we won, so we feel we can beat anybody."
The game went to overtime in dramatic fashion. Norway was clinging to a 3-2 lead as time wound down, but with Henriksen on the bench, the Danes tied it with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. Alexander True fired a pass to the crease, where Patrick Russell tipped it in to send the game to extra time.
"We battled pretty hard all game long, which was great considering we didn't really have anything to play for," said Denmark's Nick Olesen. "So it was nice to tie it in the last second."
Norway came into the game with a 6-4 record against the Danes all time at the World Championship, although the Danes won the most recent meeting, last year, en route to the bronze-medal game.
Norway got off to a slow start today, understandable after their epic victory over Czechia yesterday. Nevertheless, they scored the only goal of the opening period midway through. Andreas Martinsen’s shot was blocked in front, but the puck came right to Tinus Luc Koblar. Koblar snapped a puck in before Henriksen could recover from his positioning for the original shot, giving Norway a 1-0 lead at 11:55.
The quiet first period gave way to an eventful second in which both teams scored twice. The Danes got the tying goal at 7:53 off a turnover in centre ice. Henrik Haukeland had trouble with a long shot, which squirted behind him, and Joachim Blichfeld pushed it over the goal line before the goalie could reach back and smother it.
Norway replied with two quick goals. Captain Andreas Martinsen restored the Norway lead on a power play. Thomas Olsen took the original shot but Martinsen was right there to smack the rebound in at 10:42.
Then, three and a half minutes later, Koblar got his second of the night and fifth of the tournament off a beautiful pass to the back side by Max Krogdahl. Just 62 seconds later, however, Denmark made it a 3-2 game on a power play. Blichfeld, with his second, saw a loose puck roll right to him, and he drilled a hard shot to the short side before Haukeland could get over.
Denmark ran into serious penalty trouble in the third when Phillip Schultz was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding. The penalty killers stepped up, however, and did a masterful job of keeping it a 3-2 game.
"We had a different team last year, and this year we've had a lot of new guys coming in," Olesen added. "I think they did a great job. It's not easy playing your first World Championship. Overall, there were some positives."
"We're playing a simple game and playing for each other," Solberg noted. "If you've got the puck in the d-zone, it's going out if you don't have a play. Small things like that, being on the right side of the puck. We're focusing on the details."
The goal tied the World Championship record for fastest overtime goal, first set by Roman Wick (SUI) in 2009 and tied by John Tavares (CAN) in 2024.
The win puts Norway into second place in Group B with 15 points, the most ever for Norway since the current preliminary round format was adopted in 2012. However, with the OT win and loss of a third point, they now have to watch the Canada-Czechia game tonight to see where they finish.
If Czechia wins in regulation, the Czechs will move up and finish second ahead of Norway. Any other result will give Norway second and a more favourable, 3rd-place opponent from Group A in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
"The team has been playing well all through the group stage," said Norway defender Stian Solberg. "It's our best result, which is great for us. We're ready for the playoffs. We beat Czech and Sweden, took Canada to overtime, had a tight game against Slovakia, and then we won the two games we knew we had to win, against Slovenia and Italy. And today we won, so we feel we can beat anybody."
The game went to overtime in dramatic fashion. Norway was clinging to a 3-2 lead as time wound down, but with Henriksen on the bench, the Danes tied it with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. Alexander True fired a pass to the crease, where Patrick Russell tipped it in to send the game to extra time.
"We battled pretty hard all game long, which was great considering we didn't really have anything to play for," said Denmark's Nick Olesen. "So it was nice to tie it in the last second."
Norway came into the game with a 6-4 record against the Danes all time at the World Championship, although the Danes won the most recent meeting, last year, en route to the bronze-medal game.
Norway got off to a slow start today, understandable after their epic victory over Czechia yesterday. Nevertheless, they scored the only goal of the opening period midway through. Andreas Martinsen’s shot was blocked in front, but the puck came right to Tinus Luc Koblar. Koblar snapped a puck in before Henriksen could recover from his positioning for the original shot, giving Norway a 1-0 lead at 11:55.
The quiet first period gave way to an eventful second in which both teams scored twice. The Danes got the tying goal at 7:53 off a turnover in centre ice. Henrik Haukeland had trouble with a long shot, which squirted behind him, and Joachim Blichfeld pushed it over the goal line before the goalie could reach back and smother it.
Norway replied with two quick goals. Captain Andreas Martinsen restored the Norway lead on a power play. Thomas Olsen took the original shot but Martinsen was right there to smack the rebound in at 10:42.
Then, three and a half minutes later, Koblar got his second of the night and fifth of the tournament off a beautiful pass to the back side by Max Krogdahl. Just 62 seconds later, however, Denmark made it a 3-2 game on a power play. Blichfeld, with his second, saw a loose puck roll right to him, and he drilled a hard shot to the short side before Haukeland could get over.
Denmark ran into serious penalty trouble in the third when Phillip Schultz was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding. The penalty killers stepped up, however, and did a masterful job of keeping it a 3-2 game.
"We had a different team last year, and this year we've had a lot of new guys coming in," Olesen added. "I think they did a great job. It's not easy playing your first World Championship. Overall, there were some positives."
"We're playing a simple game and playing for each other," Solberg noted. "If you've got the puck in the d-zone, it's going out if you don't have a play. Small things like that, being on the right side of the puck. We're focusing on the details."
Norway vs Denmark - 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship
OF