Three stars from Day 6 of WWHC: Lacey Eden gives U.S. redemption against Canada

It was a day of high-stakes games that determined relegation and seeding heading into the quarterfinals to close out the preliminary round of the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship.

Czechia, undefeated thus far in the tournament, surrendered several chances to Sweden early but a fantastic performance by Czech goaltender Klara Pleslarova prevented the Swedes from capitalizing. Vendula Pribylova opened the scoring for Czechia in the second period with a seeing-eye shot through a screen, notching her first goal of the tournament and the eventual game-winner. Czechia hit the back of the net twice more in the third to secure it top rank in Group B and, along with the United States, remain the only undefeated teams in the tournament.

Fighting for third in Group A, Finland took on a vastly depleted Swiss squad are missing key players, including its captain, to illness or injury. Finland got on the board twice early in the opening frame as the Swiss lost two more players to injury, leaving the team with only 13 skaters and allowing Finland to continue firing on all cylinders. Finland scored twice more, including on a five-on-three, to secure third place in Group A with a resounding 4-0 victory.

Sitting in fifth place in Group B and winless throughout the tournament, Germany could not qualify for the quarterfinals — instead, while Denmark fought for a win to advance onwards, Germany fought to avoid relegation. After a late tying goal that brought Germany back into the game, defender Tanja Eisenschmid took a shot from the point and the puck crossed the goal line with one second remaining, securing a 3-2 regulation win for Germany.

The marquee match-up of the evening — the final contest of the preliminary round — saw defending champion Canada taking on the U.S. to determine the top finisher in Group A and a contest with Hungary in the quarterfinals. Although Canada took a 2-0 lead in the first period, the energetic Americans were eager to prove themselves against their toughest rival. Quick to capitalize on mistakes, the U.S. rallied to score five unanswered goals, including an empty-netter by Hilary Knight to put her just one point shy of reaching Hayley Wickenheiser's all-time tournament points record.

Here are the top performers from Day 6 of the tournament.

Coming into this contest without a win, Germany was at risk of relegation if they didn't put the game away in regulation time against Denmark, which had the home-crowd advantage. While Denmark lit the lamp first, the game was close. After Emma Russel scored the go-ahead goal for Denmark in the second period, Germany was desperate to take the lead.

Once Laura Kluge tied it with four minutes to spare, Germany pulled out all the stops to secure that final goal, including sitting the goaltender for the extra attacker. With six skaters on the ice for Germany and the clock winding down, defender Tanja Eisenschmid took a shot from the point, scoring with one second remaining.

The play was reviewed by officials, but was eventually deemed a good goal, securing Germany their first and most important victory of the tournament to avoid relegation.

While Germany would not have qualified for the quarterfinals even with the regulation win, Eisenschmid gave her team the opportunity to return to the tournament in 2023. Denmark is now relegated to Division I Group A.

Honourable Mention: Although the Canadians fell to the United States in their final preliminary-round game, Sarah Fillier added to her points tally with the opening goal of the contest. Leading Canada in points, Fillier also sits a sixth in tournament scoring leaders.

Facing Canada and the United States to open the tournament had Finland suffering early losses that couldn't properly showcase the talent that this team possesses.

Finland captured its first win against Japan on Monday, where the second line demonstrated its offensive talent, with each player gracing the scoresheet at least once.

This offensive showcase continued against Switzerland, where Viivi Vainikka, Noora Tulus and Elisa Holopainen all registered points once more.

Early in the opening frame, Tulus and Holopainen connected to put Finland up 2-0. Tulus, going on the forecheck, forced a turnover behind the Swiss net. Tulus snapped the puck to Holopainen, who circled to the front of the net to bury the puck top shelf.

The dominant second line for Finland factored in on three of the four goals this contest and has a combined 11 points over two games.

Honourable mention: Finland's Susanna Tapani opened the scoring just under three minutes into the contest, going hard to the net and tipping the puck in for what would become the game-winning goal. She added an assist on the third goal of the afternoon to complete her multi-point effort.

Seven months after losing Olympic gold to Team Canada, the U.S. appeared ready to fight for redemption against the reigning world champs. Canada took the lead in the opening frame, but the United States evened the score heading into the third period.

Catching Canada on its heels, Lacey Eden scored the go-ahead goal less than five minutes into the third period. Taking a cross-ice feed from Savannah Harmon, Eden launched the puck blocker-side over Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer. With Canada unable to solve American goaltender Nicole Hensley one last time, Eden's goal became the eventual game-winner.

The U.S. scored five unanswered goals throughout the second and third period.

With a taste of redemption, the United States enters the elimination round as the top seed in Group A and will face Hungary in the quarterfinals. Canada will take on Sweden.

Honourable mention: American goaltender Nicole Hensley was a difference-maker in the win against Canada, particularly during the second period where Canada outshot the U.S. 16-8. Hensley did not allow a goal in the final 41 minutes of the game, preventing a comeback for Team Canada.