Courtesy of Point Park University

Blueger dominates Worlds faceoff circle

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Teddy Blueger chats with Latvian forward and Senators prospect Rudolfs Balcers. -- ANDRE RINGUETTE / IIHF

Teddy Blueger was the lone Penguins player in action on Tuesday in the World Championship tournament in Slovakia.

Blueger's Latvian squad defeated Italy, 3-0, with Blueger scoring an empty-netter in the final minute. It was his first goal through three games of the tournament.

Blueger played 22:33 in the win, the third-highest ice time on the team. His six shots were the second-most on the team.

Latvia's win brought its record to 2-1. There is a three-way tie between Latvia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic for third place in the Group B standings, with Latvia sitting in fifth place after the goal differential tiebreaker.

Blueger's most impressive work by far through three games has been his performance on faceoffs. He leads the entire tournament with a faceoff percentage of 79.07, with a record of 68-18 through three games. He's taken significantly more draws than anyone even close to him in the standings.

Around the rest of the tournament:

• Denmark defeated Great Britain, 9-0. The Danes outshot their opponents 42-19 in the win. Capitals forward Lars Eller had a four-point performance, with one goal and three assists.

• Germany defeated France, 4-1. Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Matthias Plachta scored the game-winning goal.

• Switzerland shut out Austria, 4-0. Wild forward Kevin Fiala, Predators' defenseman Roman Josi, Blackhawks forward prospect Philipp Kurashev, and Avalanche forward Sven Andrighetto each scored.

Evgeni Malkin will be the only Penguin playing on Wednesday, as Russia takes on Italy. Switzerland will play Norway, Germany will play Slovakia, and the United States will play Great Britain in the long-awaited Revolutionary War rematch.

MORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATES

Day 1: Hornqvist scores; Malkin and Simon record assists
Day 2: Blueger gets two points in Latvia win

Day 3: Hornqvist nets two; McCann makes magic
Day 4: Hornqvist extends goal streak, ties Kakko for tournament lead

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