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World Junior 2015: Team Canada tops Team USA 5-3, wins top spot in Group A

MONTREAL — Max Domi and Josh Morrissey buried goals just more than three minutes apart in the second period, pointing Team Canada toward a 5-3 win over Team USA and top spot in Group A at the world junior championship in a New Year's Eve classic.

Captain Curtis Lazar and 17-year-old top NHL draft prospect Connor McDavid combined to give Canada a 3-1 lead at the midpoint at the third. McDavid cut around a defencemen and wired a high shot that was stopped by goalie Thatcher Demko, but Lazar crashed the crease and got the last touch on the puck.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Dylan Larkin kept Team USA alive by scoring with 2:34 and again with 42.2 seconds left. Sam Reinhart and Domi each scored empty-net goals in the final minute, the last with five seconds left, to shepherd Canada through the late shakiness.

[More WJHC: Scores & schedule | Standings | Stats | Teams]

With that result, Canada will play a quarter-final on Friday against the fourth-place finisher in Group B, who will be finalized following the Czech Republic-Russia game. The U.S. will face Group B's third-place finisher on Friday.

At a tension-riven Bell Centre, the rivals engaged in a fast-paced game that might be a portent of a gold-medal game rematch on Jan. 5. Demko and Canada's Eric Comrie each had to be sharp during the opening 20 minutes.

At 7:07 of the second, after defenceman Darnell Nurse coolly bought time for his forwards to light out for the U.S. zone, Domi took a lead pass and toe-dragged defenceman Brandon Carlo, who fell. Demko stopped Domi's shot, but Reinhart steered the rebound right to Domi for the London Knights captain's third goal in four games.

Three minutes later, Larkin was gated for high-sticking Robby Fabbri. On the ensuing power play, U.S. captain Jack Eichel lost his stick, inhibiting his ability to pressure the Canadian point men. Morrissey, a Winnipeg Jets prospect, stepped into a slapshot for a power-play goal.

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Eichel, perhaps smarting for being out for a scoring play that involved him losing both a defensive zone faceoff and his stick, quickly resurrected Team USA by creating a chance for Anthony DeAngelo's power-play goal that cut the score to 2-1 with 6:48 left in the period. Eichel shielded off a defender just inside the blueline and fed Columblus Blue Jackets pick Sonny Milano. The rebound off Comrie went right to DeAngelo, who scored easily into an open net.

The U.S. had a golden opportunity just three minutes later after Nurse got the lone penalty, a roughing call, after pushing and shoving erupted before a faceoff in front of the U.S. bench. Reinhart, Domi and fellow forwards Frédérik Gauthier and Lawson Crouse did some excellent work to keep the U.S. from getting a premium chance.

Having dodged that bullet, Canada settled into a tactical game in the third, keeping the U.S. from recording an official shot on goal until 8:14 remained. Yet it was still a one-shot game until McDavid struck, with Lazar securing the goal. Canada had the run of play until Larkin's late outburst.

Larkin's two goals give him a Team USA-leading seven points.

Comrie, who made a strong case to be Canada's starter on Friday, stopped 26-of-29 shots. Demko handled 38-of-41 and was named Team USA's player of the game.  Each team was 1-for-2 on the power play.

The U.S. last beat Canada in the WJC preliminary round on Dec. 31, 1998. Its last three gold medal-wiinning teams, however, all eliminated Canada from contending for gold.

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