MINSK, Belarus -- Defending champion Sweden made the first step in its title defence with a 3-0 victory over Denmark at the ice hockey world championship on Saturday. Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund scored twice in the opening period when the Swedes displayed fast, well organized play that was tough for Denmark to match. "It was nice to have a few goals right away, keep the pressure off and the nerves away," Backlund said. Another Scandinavian superpower, Finland, began its campaign with an upset 3-2 loss to Latvia and Norway blanked Italy 3-0 while Germany prevailed in a shootout to beat Kazakhstan 2-1. Backlund scored his first for Sweden when defenceman Markus Lauridsen deflected his shot to the net with his skate and struck again by precisely directing Joakim Lindstroms slap shot. Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist added the third on a solo effort after intercepting a pass. "Once we got up two to nothing we stopped taking the puck to the net," Nyquist said. "We tried to make too many passes instead of shooting the puck." Latvia failed to capitalize on its second-period power plays when a total of seven Finns were in the penalty box. Finland used its only power play in that period to go 2-1 up with a goal by Petri Kontiola. Kristaps Sotnieks tied the match for Latvia -- the quarterfinalist in the Sochi Winter Olympics -- in the third before Arturs Kulda netted the winner on a power play. It was the first victory for Latvia over Finland at the worlds. Thomas Oppenheimer scored the decisive goal in the shootout to give Germany the win. Germany outshot its opponent 47-20 but Kazakhstan went ahead 1-0 after a goal from Andrei Gavrilin. The Germans answered through Matthias Plachta at the end of the first period. "I have to look at the positive," German coach Pat Cortina said. "We put the puck to the net and that is extremely important for our team." Niklas Roest opened the scoring in the first period for Norway, Morten Ask made it 2-0 midway through the game and captain Anders Bastiansen rounded off the victory on a breakaway in the third. "I tried to shoot early to surprise the goalie and it went in, so I was really happy," Bastiansen said. "We did a good job. We won and thats the most important thing." Goaltender Lars Haugen made 15 saves for the shutout, but needed help from his posts on two shots by defenceman Daniel Sullivan in the second. "We had a little difficulty in the beginning, adjusting to the speed," Italy coach Tom Pokel said. "However, as the game went on we got better and better. So it was a good game for us." Italy and Kazakhstan are both newcomers to the top division this year. Later Saturday, Canada hopes to rebound from Fridays 3-2 loss to France with a win against Slovakia, while the United States faces Switzerland a day after it routed host Belarus 6-1. Adidas Jerseys . Mesoraco hurt his hamstring while scoring from second in Friday nights 5-4 loss at Atlanta. Chapman was hit by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19, breaking his nose and a bone above his left eye. The left-hander looked strong while throwing 43 pitches in batting practice before Saturday nights game against the Braves. Cheap Jerseys From China .TV Series: Duck Dynasty. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . -- Jane Kish stopped all 25 shots she faced as the Weyburn Gold Wings blanked the Sudbury Lady Wolves 3-0 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game at the Esso Cup. Authentic Jerseys . Bobrovsky posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Blue Jackets (35-26-6) gain five of a possible six points last week. He capped the week by making 32 saves and stopping 2-of-4 shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Custom Jerseys . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.INDIANAPOLIS -- Teddy Bridgewater will spend the next 2 1/2 months trying to convince NFL scouts hes the No. 1 quarterback -- No. 1 player -- in this years draft. Tajh Boyd is just itching to show scouts hes still the quarterback they once thought he could be. Yes, the two college stars were on opposite ends of the spectrum at the combine. While Boyds draft stock has plummeted over the past four months, Bridgewaters confidence is booming as he appears to be locking himself into the top 10. "I feel that Im the best quarterback in this draft," he said at his weekends NFL scouting combine. "Im not just going to sit up here and say it, theres obviously actions that have to back up these words. Im just going to go out there and prove that Im the best guy." Scouts will have to wait to see if Bridgewater can live up to the boasts. He never planned to throw during Sundays workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium and also pulled out of the 40-yard dash one day after telling reporters he would run. But that hasnt hurt Bridgewater yet. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, good size for an NFL quarterback with room to even add a few more pounds. And despite questions about hand size, Bridgewaters completion percentage and touchdown passes continued to steadily increase each of the past three seasons at the same time his interception totals declined. Teams searching for a new franchise quarterback, such as Houston, which has the top pick in May, will spend these next 10 weeks trying to determine who to take in this three-man race -- Bridgewater, Blake Bortles or 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. "I havent studied him (Bridgewater) enough, and coming from defence, I dont consider myself a quarterback expert," said Browns coach Mike Pettine, whose team also is looking at a quarterback at No. 4. "I know what good onnes look like, but as far as graduate level details, I will lean on the offensive staff.dddddddddddd" Boyd, however, has the tougher job -- reintroducing himself to scouts. Last fall, Boyd was a potential first-round draft choice. But after going 17 of 37 for 156 yards with only one touchdown and two interceptions against eventual national champion Florida State on national television, the perceptions changed. NFL teams started picking apart Boyds flaws, flaws that Boyd is still struggling to understand. "Coming into the season I was a top 15 pick supposedly," he said. "Now youre hearing this and that and nobody really knows. So Im just trying to come out here and do what I can. Honestly, I dont feel like theres a quarterback here better than me, so thats what I want to come out here and do." Sundays workout didnt help. Boyd was timed at 4.84 seconds in the 40-yard dash, finishing ahead of eight of the 16 quarterbacks who ran Sunday, and looked inaccurate during the throwing part of the workouts. Hell need a much better showing at Clemsons pro day to restore some of the lustre that was lost after he returned to school for his final college season. "I feel like Im maturing in every aspect of my game," Boyd said. "I feel like I went and did what I wanted to do. The big thing for me was making sure that I was ready for this transition." But for Bridgewater, theres more at stake -- a big contract, a chance to live out his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL and, of course, the opportunity to prove hes the No. 1 quarterback in the draft. "Theyve watched the film. Theyve studied who I am as a player," Bridgewater said. "But its all about getting in those (team interview) rooms and establishing a relationship as a person, and I feel that Ive been doing well doing that." ' ' 'and. ' ' '