World Junior 2015: Team's Canada's Max Domi 'winning over the fans and the country' with unshakeable confidence

MONTREAL — Max Domi's unofficial line on Monday — two assists, one endless wrestling match in the corner with Julius Honka and a couple welts from blocked shots.

In other words, a characteristic effort from the 19-year-old who through three Team Canada victories, has become talismanic for the Maple Leaf at the world junior championship. Try to think of any other junior who, on the same play, could spend a good 10 seconds tangled up with the opponent's best defenceman and then, after sprinting to get onside while his teammates bought time to extend the play, make a rinkwide pass to help set up Sam Reinhart's second goal in the 4-1 victory over Finland at the Bell Centre.

"I was at end of my shift and I was kind laughing it off, he was giving it to me, 'why are you laughing?' " Domi related afterward. "We were were just caught up, like what do we do, how do we get up here. He'd move and I'd move and somehow still be locked up. I got out of the zone  and [defenceman Dillon] Heatherington made a great play [to pass Domi the puck] and then [Anthony] Duclair and Reinhart finished it off.

"I think I fell. I've been falling a lot," Domi added, with a smile as wide as the St. Lawrence River.

That sequence summed up Domi's play, and his hockey persona. It's nothing new to those who have watched him across three-plus seasons with the love-'em-or-hate-em London Knights, but now it's playing out on international stage.

"That's Max Domi. He's down in the corner and we have the puck and he's under their guy and how is he going to get out of the zone," coach Benoît Groulx said. "It's time to change. All of a sudden he's out of the zone, he seems to get his second wind. He's got the puck and tic-tac-toe, the puck's in the net. Broken play, and we end up with a goal because of his second effort."

Earlier in the night, the Arizona Coyotes prospect blocked two point shots with his right leg during a  penalty-killing shift. He didn't so much miss a shift as just take a little longer to get out for the next one — and then, afterward, carry on like the black night in Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Just a flesh wound.

"I was going for a third," he joked. "I wanted a third one. No, it's just part of the game and it gets the boys going."

That ain't-no-thang joie de vivre has often been missing in recent iterations of Team Canada, whose players, in retrospect, have often been wound like a Titleist before the tournament even started. What Domi, having grown up with a grasp of the sporting life, has going for him is that blissed-out certitude about getting the job done. Reinhart got the best player award for his two-goal effort, but Domi is Canada's MVP thus far in the tournament.

"I don't know what to say — now he's blocking shots," Groulx said. "The way he is right now, he's a leader by example. He plays with passion. He's a three-zone player, no doubt about it. When he keeps things simple, he's very effective. He's big part of our team.

"He's been one of our best players, but I think their line with Sam and Anthony has been very good."

Following that second Reinhart salvo, Finland pulled a goal back in the penultimate minute of the second when Artturi Lehkonen fell hair to a ghastly giveaway by Samuel Morin, who had the puck take a random hop away from him. But midway through the third, Domi did his thing again. After Madison Bowey softly rimmed the puck behind the Finland net, Domi won the race with Finland's Mika Ilvonen and fed Duclair for the backbreaker. That was part of a three-goal night for the big line, with Lazar rounding out the scoring with a power-play salvo.

It also spoke to how Domi's indomitability is contagious among his teammates, who have Tuesday off before facing Team USA for top spot in Group A on New Year's Eve.

"He's winning over the fans and the country right now," said Lazar, whose goal made Canada 5-for-10 on power plays in three games. "It's something to watch and we feed off it. He's a skilled guy and he's willing to sacrfice for his team. He's going to stick out any body part to block a shot.

"As that lines goes, our team's going," Lazar said. "It's awesome to see and tough for teams to defend.

Domi deferred praise to Duclair and Reinhart. All three had two-point nights.

"I'm just along for the ride. They're two high-end hockey players. It just goes to show you that the CHL is the best organization in the world for junior hockey. All three leagues have high-end players and when you get talent together, they can make it work."

Meantime, Groulx juggled wings on Lazar and Connor McDavid's line. The pair started with Nick Ritchie on the left flank, but by the second, the speedier Jake Virtanen was part of that trio. Ritchie had some effective shifts on a cruiserweight fourth line with Frédérik Gauthier and Lawson Crouse.

"If Jake gets that speed going down the wall with Connor and myself, I know he's going to create a lot of opportunities," McDavid said. "I know we had nothing to show for it but I thought our line had a pretty solid game tonight.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.