World Junior Championship roundup: Slovakia recovers for OT victory against Kazakhstan  | NHL.com

Monday is the fifth day of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held in Ottawa.

Day 5 games:

Slovakia 5, Kazakhstan 4 (OT) — Maxim Strbak (Buffalo Sabres) scored at 2:55 of overtime for Slovakia, which recovered after giving away a two-goal lead in the third period in a Group B game at TD Place.

Juraj Pekarcik (St. Louis Blues) carried the puck out of the Slovakia zone and his stretch pass sent Strbak in alone, and he beat Vladimir Nikitin (Ottawa Senators) between his pads.

Pekarcik and Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis Blues) each had two goals and two assists for Slovakia (1-1-0-2), and Strbak also had an assist. Samuel Urban (2025 draft eligible) made 13 saves.

Artur Gross, Assanali Sarkenov, Davlat Nurkenov and Kirill Lyapunov scored for Kazakhstan (0-0-1-2). Nikitin made 37 saves.

Dvorsky scored twice in the first period to help Slovakia to a 3-0 lead.

After Gross scored at 2:02 of the second period to make it 3-1, Pekarcik skated through the slot and lifted a backhand over Nikitin to make it 4-1 at 12:36.

Slovakia was leading 4-2 when Sarkenov was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking at 15:21 of the third period.

But Slovakia forward Matus Vojtech (2025 draft eligible) turned the puck over at the Kazakhstan blue line, allowing Nurkenov to skate in alone and score a short-handed goal between Urban’s pads at 16:37 to make it 4-3.

Then Strbak gave the puck away at the Kazakhstan blue line, with Lyapunov breaking in and scoring short-handed at 19:31 to tie it 4-4.

Kazakhstan will finish the preliminary round against Switzerland on Tuesday (Noon ET). Slovakia will next play in the quarterfinals on Jan. 2.