The memory of the biggest upset in recent World Juniors history loomed large for Team Canada on Saturday, as the squad once again found themselves battling a determined Latvian side that had shocked them just one year prior with a 3-2 shootout victory.

Though, this time around, it was the Canadians who came out on top. With the game locked in a tense 1-1 tie, the pressure mounted in the overtime period with Canada on the power play. Canadian forward Michael Hage, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, delivered the decisive blow, finishing off a cross-ice play with a blistering shot to give his team a narrow 2-1 overtime victory.

While Canada was expected to deliver a dominant statement win, Latvia’s structured defense and exceptional goaltending kept the game tight, surviving a five-minute Canadian power play and scoring a late equalizer in the third period. For the second consecutive tournament, the underdogs pushed the hockey powerhouse to the brink, forcing the game into overtime — after a game-tying goal by Latvia’s Rudolfs Berzkalns with less than two minutes remaining — and stirring uneasy feelings among the Canadian faithful who remembered the humiliation of last year’s defeat.

Cole Reschny scored Canada’s first goal on a power play in the second period, but Hage’s winner was a dramatic relief that allowed Canada to avoid another monumental upset and improve their tournament record to 2-0.

STREAM: Watch all the World Juniors action with FuboTV (free trial)

Latvia goalie Nils Maurins was valiant in the loss, saving over 30 saves in the loss, but he could not get to the final Hage shot. The Latvians fell to 0-1 on the tournament, looking to bounce back next time out against Finland. Canada will lace up the skates again on Dec. 29 against Denmark.

The Sporting News followed all the action from Canada’s thrilling win as they flipped the script on Latvia from a year ago. Check out all the highlights below.

Canada vs. Latvia live score

  1 2 3 OT F
Canada 0 1 0 1 2
Finland 0 0 1 – 1

Canada vs. Latvia updates, highlights from 2026 World Juniors

Final: Canada 2, Latvia 1

7:17 p.m. GOAL: Canada finally breaks through and defeats Latvia in overtime.

It’s Hage who delivers the blow, bulleting a cross-ice pass into the back of the net past Maurins. Canada wins 2-1 and advances to 2-0 in the tournament.

It was a resilient effort for Latvia, something the team has become known for. But, this time, the Latvians come up short.

7:16 p.m.: A Canadian skater was sitting at the doorstep, but a sprawling Maurins saves the puck and keeps the game alive.

7:15 p.m.: The puck has dropped in overtime, with Canada still on the power play. They have just over a minute.

End of regulation: Canada 1, Latvia 1

7:12 p.m.: Latvia might not be the most talented team. They might not be the best in the tournament. But, they are taking the Canadians to overtime for the second straight World Juniors.

After trailing 1-0 58 minutes in, Latvia tied the game with less than two minutes remaining. It’s 1-1 heading to the extra frame.

7:09 p.m.: Canada is heading to the power play with 51 seconds remaining. The puck was cleared out of the zone directly into the stands, giving Canada a critical opportunity to end this game in regulation.

Canada 1, Latvia 1

7:06 p.m. GOAL: The Latvians do it again.

Trailing by one for the majority of the game, Rudolfs Berzkalns tucks in a rebound and the game is 1-1 with 1:52 remaining.

Are we seeing a repeat of last tournament?

7:05 p.m.: With 2:20 remaining, Canada is holding on to a 1-0 lead.

7:00 p.m.: Right as the clock went below five minutes, a shot by Cole Beaudoin is rattled off the post for Canada and the ensuing one is saved by Maurins. 

He’s up to 31 saves on the day as we head to commercial break. There is 4:13 remaining.

6:55 p.m.: As the clock ticks under seven minutes, the Latvians are still around.

Canada has rattled off the last seven shots, but all have been saves by Maurins. 

6:48 p.m.: A shot on goal by Reschny is swallowed up, setting up a faceoff in the Latvian zone with 11:02 remaining.

6:45 p.m.: A scramble in front of the Latvian goal is covered up by Maurins. Though, the period has been mostly Latvia, getting the shots margin down to 27-24.

6:40 p.m.: Canada’s Michael Hage made a nice move to get around a defender, but backhands a shot off the post.

The score remains 1-0 with 14:25 remaining.

6:36 p.m.: Latvia has had some early pressure to begin the third, but Ivankovic has stood tall. 

6:31 p.m.: The third period has begun with Canada leading 1-0. 

Latvia is hanging around looking for a huge upset for the second straight season. 

End of the second period: Canada 1, Latvia 0

6:13 p.m.: The second period is over, and though the 40 minutes have been dominated by Canada, Latvia is hanging around.

The Canadians are outshooting their opponent 25 to 16, but the score remains 1-0. This is eerily similar to the teams’ matchup last year, when Latvia hung around and relied on a strong performance from its goaltender.

In the third, will Canada put its foot on the gas or will Latvia shock many?

6:09 p.m.: Late in the second, Latvia is still hanging around as it remains 1-0. There’s 3:15 remaining in the middle frame as the Canadians keep on pushing.

6:04 p.m.: The Canadians have killed off the four-minute power play. Latvia had two shots, but both were swallowed up by Ivankovic.

With under 5:30 remaining, Canada still leads 1-0.

6:02 p.m.: With Latvia at the end of the shift, Sam O’Reilly comes of the bench and attacks the crease. He forces Maurins to make a save, but the penalty kill for Canada has seen only positives.

6:01 p.m.: The first minor penalty is over, with Latvia playing mainly on the outside.

Ivankovic made a few saves, but none were extraordinary. 

5:57 p.m.: Latvia will head to the power play for the first time.

As Kristians Utnans dumped the puck into the Canada zone and chased it, he was caught in the face by Ben Danford’s stick and fell down on the play. He appeared to be cut on the play. 

Utnans was bleeding from the nose and it’s a double minor penalty. 

5:52 p.m.: After another dominating shift in the Latvian zone, a shot and scramble is swallowed up by Maurins. 

Canada has outshot Latvia 17-11, with only one Latvian shot coming this period.

5:48 p.m.: Latvia has killed the power play, standing tall after the Reschny goal. But, Canada continues to dominate play as the game goes back to even strength.

5:46 p.m.: Though Canada has dominated zone time and gotten shots off, it remains 1-0 as the power play goes under a minute.

Iginla had a shot that went right off the goal post.

Canada 1, Latvia 0

5:42 p.m. GOAL: Canada scores first on the power play.

Cole Reschny gets the puck at the right circle and drives in, ripping a shot past Maurins and into the net.

The Canadians lead 1-0 with over four minutes remaining on the man advantage.

5:40 p.m.: The teams have exchanged scoring chances early on, but critical saves by each goaltender have the game scoreless.

Though, the Canadian will head to a five-minute power play. It was called a head shot on Martins Klaucans.

5:35 p.m.: The second period is underway in Minnesota. Both Canada and Latvia are looking to draw first blood.

The Canadians were the better team in the second half of the frame, but Latvia stayed level.

End of the first period: Canada 0, Latvia 0

5:16 p.m.: At the end of one, Canada is tied at zeroes with a frisky Latvia team.

The second half of the period was all Canada, tallying 10 of the final 12 shots, but Maurins made all the saves. Latvia looked to have a goal but it was waved off.

Let’s see who breaks the deadlock first in the second. 

5:15 p.m.: Canada is ripping off shots and the game is being played mainly in the Latvian zone. Though, Nils Maurins continues to make saves.

5:13 p.m.: Though they were in the zone for nearly the entire man advantage, Canada comes up scoreless on three shots.

The Latvians have killed two power plays in the first as it remains 0-0. 

5:09 p.m.: The Canadians spent a significant amount of time in the Latvia zone, but the game remained scoreless. Gavin McKenna and Tij Iginla each had opportunities but could not convert.

Though, McKenna was knocked down by Daniels Serkins and a holding penalty is called. With 3:24 left in the first, Canada will go to the power play for the second time today.

5:05 p.m.: It looked like the Latvians have the lead in the first period, with Markuss Sieradzkus kicking the puck into the net with his skate.

It was called a goal on the ice, but it was an easy overturn.

4:57 p.m.: After a long zone-shift for Canada, including a Michael Misa shot off the post, the Latvians get a shot off but it is swallowed up by Jack Ivankovic.

It’s 0-0 with 8:56 remaining.

4:50 p.m.: With just over 13 minutes remaining, the Latvians are dominating. They have outshot Canada six to one and killed the first power play of the game.

4:47 p.m.: The Canadians have the first power play of the game, with Jett Luchanko drawing a penalty by the boards.

4:45 p.m.: It’s a physical one early, with both teams putting each other into the boards.

The score remains 0-0.

4:35 p.m.: We are underway in Minnesota. Latvia and Canada are both looking for a statement win in the tournament.

4:15 p.m.: As we inch closer to puck drop, here are the stakes.

Canada will advance to 2-0 in the tournament with a win, putting them in prime position for the knockout stages. Latvia can jumpstart its underdog story with a huge victory today.

4:00 p.m.: Team Latvia makes its 2026 World Juniors debut today.

While the country is not considered a contender, it has avoided relegation multiple times and has provided shockers, like the upset over Canada, in the past.

Let’s see what Latvia has in store for the 2026 tournament.

3:47 p.m.: Puck drop is less than an hour away, and Team Canada is having some fun pregame.

3:35 p.m.: Here are the lines Canada is rolling with against Latvia.

Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the next NHL Draft, is on the left winger on the first line.

2:45 p.m.: Canada had a thrilling win over Czechia, but went under fire for not shaking hands after. The team released a statement earlier today ahead of the game vs. Latvia.

2:31 p.m.: In 2024, Latvia pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Juniors history when it defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout. he victory marked Latvia’s first-ever win against the hockey powerhouse at the World Juniors, a stunning achievement made possible by a brilliant 54-save performance from goaltender Linards Feldbergs.

Today, the two teams face off for the first time since.

12:33 p.m.: Canada enters today’s contest 1-0 after a 7-5 win vs. the Czech Republic on Friday night.

What channel is Canada vs. Latvia on today?

  • TV channels: TSN (Canada) | NHL Network (United States)
  • Live stream: TSN app (Canada) | Fubo (United States)

Canada vs. Latvia will air on TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the U.S.

Viewers can also stream the game on the TSN app (or TSN.ca) in Canada and on the NHL Network app or Fubo (which offers a free trial) in the U.S.

Canada vs. Latvia start time

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
  • Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

Canada vs. Latvia will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 27. 

This is the second game for both teams in the tournament.

2026 World Juniors schedule

Saturday, Dec. 27

Matchup Time (ET)
Slovakia vs. Germany 2:00 p.m.
Latvia vs. Canada 4:30 p.m.
United States vs. Switzerland 6:00 p.m.
Denmark vs. Czechia 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 28

Matchup Time (ET)
Sweden vs. Switzerland 2:00 p.m.
Finland vs. Latvia 4:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 29

Matchup Time (ET)
Germany vs. Sweden 1:00 p.m.
Finland vs. Czechia 3:30 p.m.
Slovakia vs. United States 6:00 p.m.
Canada vs. Denmark 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Matchup Time (ET)
Switzerland vs. Germany 2:00 p.m.
Latvia vs. Denmark 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 31

Matchup Time (ET)
Switzerland vs. Slovakia 1:00 p.m.
Czechia vs. Latvia 3:30 p.m.
United States vs. Sweden 6:00 p.m.
Canada vs. Finland 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 2 (Playoffs: Quarterfinals & Relegation)

Matchup Time (ET)
Relegation Game (5th A vs. 5th B) 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 1 2:00 p.m.
Quarterfinal 2 4:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3 6:00 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 4 

Matchup Time (ET)
Semifinal 1 4:30 p.m.
Semifinal 2 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 5 

Matchup Time (ET)
Bronze Medal Game 4:30 p.m.
Gold Medal Game 8:30 p.m.
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