Clearly, it pays to have superstars. David Pastrnak scored the second-period go-ahead goal as Czechia edged Norway 2-1 at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The 2020 Rocket Richard Trophy winner from the Boston Bruins famously notched the winner in last year's gold medal game against Switzerland.

The reigning world champion Czechs earned their first three-point win after edging the Swiss 5-4 in overtime in their Herning opener. But it was a hard-fought affair. Norwegian goalie Jonas Arntzen was exceptional as shots favoured Czechia 33-23.

"It was a very tough game," said Pastrnak. "Norway played an excellent game, even though they played yesterday. They were very strong on faceoffs. And their goalie stood on his head. He made maybe three or four big saves that otherwise would be goals, and that's why they stayed in the game."

Colorado Avalanche star Martin Necas suited up for the first game of his third Ice Hockey Championship on a line with Filip Zadina and Michael Spacek. Necas, who had five points in seven games in Colorado’s first-round exit versus the Dallas Stars, was also part of the 2024 gold medal team.

"Obviously, I was excited to come back here," Necas said. "I had a week off, didn't really skate much. Got into it today. And I mean, we're only getting better. I feel like you've just got to get used to the ice. It's huge here. And I'm excited for the next game."

The Czechs had the better of the play in a scoreless first period, outshooting Norway 11-5. But Czech starting goalie Karel Vejmelka had to be dialed in to deny Norwegian captain Thomas Berg-Paulsen from point-blank range with less than five minutes left in the opening stanza.

At 2:14 of the second, Czechia’s Jakub Flek drew first blood, scooping up a fat rebound from Jakub Krejcik’s centre point shot and lifting it over a prone Arntzen.

Norway had an answer less than six minutes later. Forward Jacob Berglund found a pinching Stian Solberg with a fantastic cross-ice pass from the half-wall, and the 19-year-old blueliner made no mistake. Solberg whooped it up, tugging on the crest of his jersey and leaping into the glass. The top Anaheim Ducks prospect logged a game-high 29:04 in Norway’s opening 2-1 win over Kazakhstan and 22:19 versus Czechia.

"He's going to be a really, really good player if he keeps evolving the way he does," said Norwegian veteran Andreas Martinsen, who is competing in his 13th Ice Hockey World Championship. "Obviously, that's huge for us to have a guy like him back there."

A trio of national team greats teamed up to restore the Czech lead at 13:20. Captain Roman Cervenka went full Wayne Gretzky, zipping a pass from behind the net to Pastrnak in the right faceoff circle. Pastrnak picked the far-side top corner for his first goal of this tournament. Filip Hronek, named Best Defender at the 2019 IIHF WM, drew the second assist.

Pastrnak, who uses a new stick each game, explained that he had not liked the way his stick was feeling earlier in the game, and had changed sticks again shortly before scoring.

That goal ignited the Czech fans at Jyske Bank Boxen, who launched into a particularly vigorous bout of their traditional hopping and chanting. The Norwegians attacked with intensity during an end-of-period power play, but couldn't find the equalizer.

In the third period, the Norwegians hung in there as the game got increasingly gritty and physical. Coach Tobias Johansson pulled Arntzen for the extra attacker with just over three minutes remaining. But despite good pressure, there was no joy for the underdogs.

There was pride in the effort, though, according to Martinsen: "We played well defensively. Our goalie had a hell of a game. Our PK was really good. And when they have a lot of zone time with the puck, but we keep them on the outside, they get frustrated after a while, and then we also create some good chances. They don't want to go out there and play defence against Norway. So I think we followed our game plan pretty well. Just couldn't capitalize and win."

The Czechs sit fourth in the IIHF World Ranking, while Norway is 12th. The Norwegians have won just once in 24 head-to-head clashes – including the Czechoslovakia era – and have two ties.

That lone Norwegian win was 3-2 in 2010 in Germany and famously resulted in Jaromir Jagr venting his frustration to the media afterwards. The Czechs then marched to the gold medal game, where they upset a stacked Russian team 2-1. It was their last title until 2024.

Next up, the Czechs face host Denmark on Monday, while Norway battles Germany on Tuesday.

"Obviously, the crowd's gonna be packed," Necas said. "It's gonna be fun. We've just gotta get good recovery today, a good sleep, and be ready for tomorrow."