U.S. cruises by Germany to stay on collision course

Americans get 5-1 win to reach quarterfinals unbeaten as fellow power Canada looms.

- KEVIN BAXTER

BROCK FABER is greeted by teammates after he scored against Germany in the final game of group play.

(ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times)

With NHL stars back in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 12 years, organizers of the Milan-Cortina hockey tournament have seemingly done everything they can to make the players feel at home.

A horn blast marks goals and the end of each period, an NHL tradition since the 1970s; foreboding organ music plays whenever a player is banished to the penalty box; and the songs used during breaks in play lean heavily toward American artists such as Dean Martin, Neil Diamond and the Black Eyed Peas.

They even brought in the Kings’ organist, Dieter Ruehle, to complete the ambience. So it should be no surprise that the U.S. and Canada, whose rosters include only NHL players, have been the most comfortable in that environment, emerging from the three-game group stage Sunday as the tournament’s only unbeaten teams.

Photographs by ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times BRADY TKACHUK, right, scuffles with Moritz Muller of Germany in the 5-1 win. The U.S. has scored five goals in each of its three games.

Canada blitzed France 10-2 behind two goals from the San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini to earn the top seed into Wednesday's quarterfinals while the U.S beat Germany 5-1 to grab the second seed.

The Americans got two goals and an assist from Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and goals from Zach Werenski, Brock Faber and Tage Thompson in its win. The U.S. has scored at least five goals in each of its three games.