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MALMO, Sweden -- Nothing is easy for this Canadian team at the world junior championships. Jonathan Drouin redeemed himself after a bad penalty on his first shift by scoring the tying goal and Nic Petan rediscovered his scoring touch in time to get the game-winner and an empty-netter as Canada used a three-goal third period to down Slovakia 5-3 on Monday. The win left Canada (2-0-1) two points behind the United States (3-0-0) heading into a showdown for first place in the last preliminary round game for both squads on Tuesday. Canadas next game is New Years Eve at 11am et/8am pt on TSN, in a showdown against the U.S. with first place in Group A on the line. Theyll need a regulation win to overtake the defending champion Americans, who eliminated Canada in the semifinals with a 5-1 win at last years world juniors in Ufa, Russia Mondays game was the best played and most rousing of the three games Canada has played in Malmo, and it certainly brought the mostly Canadian crowd of 2,558 at the Isstadion to their feet as Canada bounced back from penalty trouble and 3-1 second-period deficit to win. "We regrouped, we found a way," said Canada coach Brent Suter. "In the third, I thought we dominated. "We got a break when they hit the post after we got the lead, but the third was maybe the best period weve played in the tournament so far." Zach Fucale made 19 saves for the win in his first start of the tournament and Sutter said the Halifax Mooseheads goalie will be in net again against the Americans. And Anthony Mantha, the runaway scoring leader in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, had a goal and three assists to give him nine points in three games. Not bad for a big winger who was not certain to make the team out of camp three weeks ago. "I came to camp and I wanted to make my place, and once I did that, I wanted to show I could play great hockey over here and thats what Im doing now," the Detroit Red Wings prospect said. "Anthony was huge," added Sutter. Curtis Lazar also scored for Canada. David Griger, with two, and Martin Reway scored for Slovakia (1-2-0), which can clinch third place with a win Tuesday over the Czech Republic. Drouin tied the game at 14:02 of the third period after Mantha beat 16-year-old Erik Cernak behind the Slovak goal and fed it in front. Canada was on a power play when Petan walked out from the right side and threaded a goal through traffic for the winner. Canada had to battle back against a Slovak side playing a tight trap and leaning on the power play with the highly skilled unit of Reway, Griger and Milan Kolena for goals. For the third straight game Canada gave up the first goal, this time after Drouin got a minor and a misconduct for a hit to the head only 10 seconds in. Griger took Jakub Predajnianskys shot off the end boards and scored into an open side past Fucale. Drouin did not see the ice again until Canadas power play at 16:49, but it was Lazar who scored on a one-timer of Manthas pass after extended pressure in the Slovak zone at 18:20. "It wasnt the start we wanted," said Drouin, the Mooseheads star who was picked third overall by Tampa bay last June. "They scored on the power play I got and Brent let me know between periods. "I needed to step up in the second and third periods. I put the team down a bit so I had to step up my game. I was going for a normal hit and he moved a bit so I caught him in the face. Its my bad play." The crowd howled at what they felt was Slovak diving that led to a pair of two-man advantages, both of which produced goals in the second frame. The first saw Gatineau Olympiques forward Reway score his fourth of the tournament with a quick shot from a Kolena feed, and then Griger get his second of the game into an open side from Reways pass. Canada got a big one back as Mantha camped on the doorstep and banged in an Aaron Ekblad rebound at 17:00 to get momentum rolling for the third. It was a breakout game for Petan and Lazar, who have struggled on attack. "Me and Curt were talking about our bad luck a bit," said Petan. "But its nice to break through. "It should be good for (Tuesday). Im just looking forward to playing a good offensive and defensive game." It was also a boost for Fucale, who had been the backup since the first of Canadas three pre-tournament games but who looks to have won the starting job back from Jake Paterson. The Laval, Que., native looked jittery early on, but made two key saves in the middle period with Slovakia already leading by two goals. "It was good for me and the team to get that," he sad. "When its 3-1, a lot can happen and 4-1 could be a big difference. "It was a tough start -- a little nervous -- but as the game went on I felt better and better. I just wanted to be there for the team and I think that in the end I accomplished that." Canada versus the Americans on New Years Eve is almost a tradition. It will be their fourth Dec. 31 meeting in the last six years. Canada has won the last three, by 7-4 in 2009 in Ottawa, 5-4 in 2010 in Saskatoon and 3-2 in 2012 in Edmonton. Drouin hopes to make up for last years defeat. "Were the underdogs here," he said. "They won last year and theyre 3-0. We need a good start and to play our own game and not watch them play. It was a hard loss for me and the team last year. This time I just want to make sure we dont lose again to the Americans." Notes: Canada is 8-0-1 against Slovakia all-time at the world juniors. ... Forward Charles Hudon was helped off with what looked like a shoulder problem 13 seconds into the third period after a hit into the end boards, but returned later in the period. Sutter said he is not injured. ... Canada will have defenceman Griffin Reinhart back against the Americans after serving the last of his four-game suspension incurred at last years world juniors. Jose Fernandez Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts running back hurt his left ankle during the teams practice Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Case in point: LeBron James vs. Ben McLemore. James was driving to the rim in the first quarter and McLemore decided to try to take the charge, which was quite admirable and predictably futile. http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-wei-yin-chen-jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Thursday nights Bruins-Blackhawks game had a goal by Patrice Bergeron initially waved off by the referee, but video review clarified it was a good goal. Wholesale Marlins Jerseys . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Cheap Marlins Jerseys Authentic .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. SAN FRANCISCO -- Mix Diskerud figures the whole honour of wearing No. 10 is only temporary. He fully expects to play alongside Landon Donovan again down the road with the U.S. national team. For one night at least, Diskerud did that jersey proud. Diskerud and Aron Johannsson, a pair of second-half substitutes raised in Scandinavia, scored to lift a heavy-legged United States over Azerbaijan 2-0 on Tuesday night in the first of three World Cup warmups for the Americans. "Its an honour. A lot of great players have been wearing that No. 10 for the U.S. previously," Diskerud said. "Ill enjoy it. When it comes to Landon, Im sure that were going to be playing together again someday, and of course he has more caps than me so Im just borrowing the uniform right now." The U.S. needed a boost from the bench after captain Clint Dempsey was scratched just before kickoff because of a sore left groin. But the 14th-ranked Americans had trouble breaking down No. 85 Azerbaijan. Diskerud, born in Oslo to a father from Norway and mother from Arizona who met in college, entered in the 71st and scored four minutes later off Brad Davis free kick. With the ball high in the box, Diskerud headed it down to Michael Bradley, whose shot was cleared off the goal line by Elvin Yunuszade. Diskerud then banged the ball in with a right-footed shot 6 yards for his third international goal. "It deflected, and then it was just an easy job for me to score," Diskerud said. "I got tackled exactly when I was going to shoot, and I was just laying down on the ground in agony." He was wearing the No. 10 freed up when Donovan was cut from the roster last Thursday. Johannsson, who was born in Mobile, Alabama, and moved to Iceland with his family when he was 3, entered in the 62nd and scored his second American goal in the 81st with an open header from the top of the 6-yard box off a corner kick by Davis, who replaced Graham Zusi at the start of the second half. "I think we can be very happy with this game," Johannsson said. "Weve been working ridiculously hard in training." Tim Howard, making his 98th international appearance, got his 53rd win to tie Kasey Kellers U.S. record. The Americans began their intense two-week training camp May 14 at nearby Stanford University, and there appeared to be tired legs. "It was exactly what we need at this point of our preparation after two fully loaded weeks," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "It was a tricky game. You want to open it up with a goal, and it gets easier. You want to score a bit earlier. Next up is a match Sunday against Turkey at Harrison, New Jersey, followed by a game with Nigeria six days later in Jacksonville, Florida. Then the Americans head to Brazil for their seventh straight World Cup appearance and first-round matches against Ghana, Portugal and Germany. "Its good to finally get going. Now we can play hard, recover, travel and go again,"t; Howard said.dddddddddddd"I thought it was good. I thought tonight was what we probably expected." The Americans arrived in a red-white-and-blue bus sporting the teams slogan: "One Nation. One Team." The focus was on Klinsmann, who made the controversial decision to cut Donovan, the American career scoring leader. Dempsey, slated to start up top with Jozy Altidore in a 4-4-2, was an unexpected absence. "We dont want to risk here anything," said Klinsmann, who estimated Dempsey would heal in two-to-three days. "Its not serious at all." Chris Wondolowski, a local fan favourite of the San Jose Earthquakes inserted in place of Dempsey, was stopped twice early by goalkeeper Kamran Aghayev, the first with a knee on a diving header in the fifth minute. Wondolowskis header off a cross from Alejandro Bedoya in the 15th was parried over the bar. "You have to be ready at a moments notice," Wondolowski said. "Thats why I was a bit disappointed not to find the back of the net. I had a couple of great opportunities that I need to find the corner and hit the back of the net." Azerbaijan, coached by U.S. team adviser Berti Vogts, was outscored 5-0 in a pair of World Cup qualifiers by Portugal. With wind whipping the corner flags early and even the ball out of place during restarts, a new-look U.S. defence was hardly tested. Fabian Johnson started at right back, with Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron as the central defenders, picked over Omar Gonzalez, who replaced Cameron in the second half. DaMarcus Beasley, looking to become the first American to appear in four World Cups, was at left back. Besler and Cameron played together in the middle once previously, against Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier last October. For the first time since 1990, the Americans have no central defenders with previous World Cup experience. Johnson started three games at left back last year but just once on the right -- in the clinching World Cup qualifier against Mexico in September. Klinsmann used a midfield diamond for the second straight game, with Michael Bradley at the top, Jermaine Jones deep, Zusi on the right and Bedoya the left. This match became the true final football game at Candlestick, former home of the NFL San Francisco 49ers through last season and baseballs San Francisco Giants until after 1999. NOTES: A foul by Azerbaijan D Evlin Yunuszade on Davis early in the second half appeared to be inside the box but was called a free kick by Costa Rican referee Henry Bejarano. ... Timmy Chandler played left back in the second half for his first appearance with the U.S. since a World Cup qualifier at Honduras in February 2013. ... Donovan was named MLS Player of the Week for his two-goal performance with an assist for the LA Galaxy in Sundays 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. ... Injured American MF Stuart Holden attended the game ... A Nike ball was used rather than the Adidas World Cup model. ' ' '