Kazakhs stumble at World Championship

Newly-promoted Hungary stunned Kazakhstan with a 4-2 win at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Herning, Denmark. The Hungarians lost heavily in their opening games, but rebounded to defeat the Kazakhs and blow the survival battle in Pool B wide open. 

Damaging loss to Hungarian outsider

Kazakhstan 2 Hungary 4 (0-2, 1-0, 2-1)

A fast start from Hungary left Kazakhstan playing catch-up – and it ended in the Magyars’ first regulation-time win at a World Championship since 2016. After a good win over Norway and an encouraging performance in defeat to Germany, the Kazakhs hoped to kick on against newly promoted opposition.

Instead, Janos Hari opened the scoring after 15 seconds, and Oleg Bolyakin’s team fell to a defeat that throws the battle for World Championship survival wide open.

Although the game was evenly contested, Hungary made more of its chances. Kazakhstan was already down by two when Nikita Mikhailis struck on the power play in the second period. The Metallurg man might have tied it up late in the middle frame, but a big blocker save from Bence Balizs denied his on a solo rush.

The third period started like the first: Hungary scored after 14 seconds this time, and added a fourth on the power play soon after. Kazakhstan never really got back into contention after that and a late power play goal from Valery Orekhov was only ever a consolation effort.

The Kazakhs are back in action tomorrow against Denmark. The host nation is without a point so far, and the game promises to be a real battle for elite pool survival.

Latvia wins again, Crosby scores first in a decade

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Latvia enjoyed a 5-2 win over Slovenia to move to six points in the tournament. And the evening game in Stockholm saw Canada’s Sid Crosby score his first World Championship goal in almost exactly 10 years. Crosby was on target in a 5-0 win over France; his last goal at this event came in Prague in 2015 when he notched in Canada’s 6-1 win over Russia in the final.