2021 World Championship. Russia - Belarus - 6:0

In the concluding match of the 2021 IIHF World Championship group stage, the senior Russian national team breezed past Belarus, earning a comfortable 6:0 victory to finish top of Group A.

Russia will now prepare to face Canada in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

In truth, the game was virtually over as a contest in the first period, as Nikita Nesterov - twice - , Emil Galimov, Maxim Shalunov and Mikhail Grigorenko all hit the jackpot. After the opening two goals, the Belarusians did swap Konstantin Shostak for Alexei Kolosov in net, but it made little difference to the flow of play.

Dmitry Voronkov added a sixth for good measure in the third frame to secure the routine win. Solid goalkeeper Alexander Samonov stopped all 19 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the competition.

Match protocol:

Russia - Belarus - 6:0 (5:0, 0:0, 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Nesterov (Grigorenko), 00.36
2:0 Galimov (Gavrikov), 04.29
3:0 Shalunov (Zadorov, Nesterov), 09.06
4:0 Grigorenko (Slepyshev, Voronkov), 10.52
5:0 Nesterov (Tarasenko, Barabanov), 16.28
6:0 Voronkov (Slepyshev, Grigorenko), 52.08

Goalkeepers: Samonov - Shostak/Kolosov

Shots on target: 32 - 19

Faceoffs: 35 - 20

Penalty minutes: 6 - 12

01.06.2021.