VANCOUVER — It only gets harder from here, if you consider how the degree of difficulty typically ascends in this tournament for the reigning champions, who this year are from Canada.

You got a freebie vs. Denmark (14-0), and that tricky test against the Swiss that always, somehow, turns out to be more difficult than it should (3-2). Then, just as the level of opponent steps up to the Czech Republic, so too does the Canadian roster take that next step that nullifies the added challenge.

The Czechs are a level above Switzerland, who were a level up from Denmark. Canada’s level, however, took about three strides in the 48 hours between games, rolling out that familiar "wave after wave" look that has become a signature of Team Canada in a decisive, 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic.

Next up: Russia on New Year’s Eve — a quasi-Canadian tradition. Obviously the schedule maker was paying attention.

"The plan has been to get better every game, and we’ve made strides every game," said Morgan Frost, who buried one on the powerplay. "We’ll be ready for Russia."

Like moving day at a golf tournament, a win like this works nicely for Canada ahead of its preliminary round finale on Monday. And we’ll wager that Monday’s tilt, though not as historic, will be light years quicker than that famous Red Army visit to the Montreal Forum in 1975, a sleepy-paced classic that ended in a 3-3 deadlock.

Some nice house-keeping was accomplished here Saturday, as five Canadians scored and the powerplay was lethal, accounting for a pair of goals. Prior to the game, head coach Tim Hunter was fretting over the unit, but opted to be patient — for one more night, anyhow.

"They all come from different teams, different powerplay systems and different coaches teaching those systems," he said of his players. "We’ll give ‘em a chance to try and figure it out."

Well, the powerplay found its legs on Saturday, bearing out Hunter’s approach. "They got better because we were patient with them. We believed in them," he said.

You forget — this is an All-Star team that’s only been together for a couple of weeks. It’s a bunch of exceptionally good players, sure, but it still takes time to build an exceptionally good team.

"It’s not always going to click right away, and be amazing," Frost said of the powerplay. "You always have to work things out. I don’t think we were too worried about it."

Canada goalie Michael DiPietro (1) covers up the puck as Markus Phillips (18), Ian Mitchell (5), MacKenzie Entwistle (16) and Jack Studnicka (23) defend against Czech Republic’s Karel Plasek (28) and Martin Necas (18). (Darryl Dyck/CP)

Another concern that started to down the path to being assuaged on Saturday was 17-year-old, future No. 1 overall draft pick Alexis Lafreniere. He began the game as Canada’s 13th forward after having been benched for the third period of the Swiss game.

What does a Quebec League star do when he finds himself in territory as unfamiliar as this?

"I try to stay out of social media," quipped Lafreniere, who finished off a lovely Canadian cycle play by rifling home a one-timer for the 3-1 goal.

Hunter, however, is a bit of a, er, hard-ass as a coach. One nice snipe wasn’t going to win him over, especially when his quibbles with Lafreniere’s game revolved around his play without the puck.

Hunter gave the kid just two shifts in the first period, and only four more in the second. Lafreniere, who scored 42 goals as a 16-year-old in Rimouski last season, ended up with 7:42 of ice time — likely about one-third of what he is accustomed to.

"Yes, for sure I have a little bit less ice time, but it’s a good team. You have to be ready when you’re called," he said, a quip right from the songbook of the young Canadian hockey player, who would rather block slapshots in the nude than rock the boat over his own ice time. "It’s different. You just have to accept your role, and every time the coach says my name, I’m ready."

When did Hunter know he would get a more focused Lafreniere?

"When I talked to him (Friday) night, before he went to bed."

Canada’s Maxime Comtois takes a shot on goal during first period against the Czech Republic. (Darryl Dyck/CP)

So, now the fun begins. With an expected Russian victory over the Swiss on Sunday, Monday’s Canada-Russia showdown will match a pair of 3-0 teams, with first place in Group A on the line.

From the press box, Canada looks right on schedule. But from behind the bench — guess what? — there are still elements of their game that require some work.

"There’s still work to be done, still things we didn’t like and the players didn’t like," Hunter said. "But they get all of that. That’s the good thing. They know they’ve got to take another step again, and they’ll be ready to do that. That’s the maturity of the group as they start to … figure this out.

"Like tonight," he continued. "We were turning pucks over in the second (period), and we weren’t going to do that in the third. And they did a great job."

The foundation is cemented. It appears solid, but really — who wants to live in the basement?

The next stage is nigh. Let the framing begin.