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And Canada, which lost to the United States and survived a scare before coming from behind to defeat Switzerland in a shootout, is worse for it.

“I think Mitch is still finding his way through,” said head coach Dave Lowry. “The best part about him — he has to enjoy the game. He’s put an enormous amount of pressure on himself, he feels that he has to be one of the guys that leads the offence. We’ve talked to him and one thing that we want him to understand is that we will win as a group and we will score as a committee and he just has to play responsible and he’ll generate his chances.”

Lowry spent the first 10 minutes of Wednesday’s practice talking one-on-one with Marner. The message was to relax, not to play as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. But he also challenged the winger to shoot more and be the player that everyone within Team Canada knows he can be.

It was a message that several other players — in particular Jake Virtanen, who is on loan from the Vancouver Canucks but still searching for his first point — might be receiving.

When Canada selected this year’s team, they put the focus on skill and scoring. Up and down the lineup are players who are either leading their junior teams in goals and points or amongst the league leaders in every offensive category. But aside from a 6-1 blowout win against a very weak Danish team, it is as if their sticks have been left out in the cold since coming over to Finland.

“I think it’s obviously harder to put up points than in juniors,” said captain Brayden Point, who has 43 points in 19 games this season for the Moose Jaw Warriors, but only one goal and three points in the tournament so far. “It’s a lot better competition and a lot better games. But you just got to keep trying and eventually it will start going in.”