3 things you need to know about Canada vs. the Czech Republic

Canada and the Czech Republic open World Cup action Saturday, with both teams looking to begin on a winning note.

Team Canada flashed its offensive firepower in pre-tournament action, while the Czech Republic's strong team game makes it a serious threat.

Here are three things you need to know about the game:

Czechs a formidable underdog

Leading up to the tournament, if the Czech team wasn't making headlines for its lack of depth, it was doing so for its string of injuries.

The Czech roster features five non-NHLers, including forwards Michal Birner and Roman Cervenka, who are fill-ins for David Krejci and Tomas Hertl.

Still, the lack of depth didn't stop the team from finding both the back of the net and the win column in exhibition play, as they won two of three games and scored seven goals, becoming one of four teams to post a winning record through the three-game exhibition.

Center Tomas Plekanec, meanwhile, was the only player in the entire exhibition to score a goal in each game, including a game-winner versus Team North America. The country's strong team game was on display as it slowed down the under-23s to hand them their only pre-tournament loss.

Canadians lack discipline

Canada won two exhibition games, and its penalty killers deserve much of the credit. Team Canada was called for 48 penalty minutes - including seven minors versus Team Russia - over three games. It won't be able to make that many trips to the box once the games matter.

The Canadians also appeared rattled in their first game, courtesy of Team USA's physicality. They're seen as the tournament's top team, and need to be ready when opponents take aim. It'll be up to Mike Babcock and his coaching staff to keep players focused.

The Neuvirth factor

It was assumed entering the exhibition schedule that Petr Mrazek would man the Czech net, but Michal Neuvirth saw it differently.

Through pre-tournament action, Neuvirth led all goalies (minimum 60 minutes) with a .978 save percentage, compared with Mrazek's .872.

He stopped 45-of-46 shots through two games, and may now be seen as the Czech Republic's starter for Game 1.