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Ryan O'Reilly's two-point performance versus Italy proved why he's Canada's X-Factor

ByJordan Manning|
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Sep 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Team Canada forward Ryan O'Reilly (90) during the pre game warmup against Team USA in the preliminary round play in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Sep 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Team Canada forward Ryan O'Reilly (90) during the pre game warmup against Team USA in the preliminary round play in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Ryan O'Reilly and Canada shut down Italy 6-0 Saturday, May 16 following a 5-3 win against Sweden the day prior.

O'Reilly, who tallied a goal against Sweden, topped off the win with a goal and an assist. The two points tie him for second in tournament points with three, only behind Jesse Puljujarvi with five. O'Reilly scored the final goal for Canada with 1:21 left in the middle frame. The assist came off the opening goal, scored by Dylan Holloway 9:21 into the contest.

Here is Factor's goal in case you missed it:

O'Reilly proving to be one of Canada's best players

O'Reilly's first point of the night gives Canada a taste of what it will be getting from him this tournament. Taking advantage of a turnover, O'Reilly raced the puck up the middle of the ice towards the Italy zone and passing it off to John Tavares on his left. Immediately after passing, O'Reilly transitioned to defense, guarding off Italy defenseman Carmine Buono and stopping him from blocking the finishing pass to Holloway.

Looking at O'Reilly's goal, he capitalized on a hole created by Italy's defenders. After realizing there was an opening in the play, O'Reilly snuck forward towards the net and sunk a pass from Tavares past the Italian goalie to make it 5-0. As we mentioned in our previous story, O'Reilly is notorious for shooting up and close to the goalie, and today's goal is a great example of that.

Seeing less ice time tonight than yesterday didn't stump O'Reilly, it only motivated him to play harder. He was better at the faceoff dot, winning nearly 79% of faceoffs taken. This was much better than the sub-50% we saw in his last game. He's getting better by the day, and that's the type of thing coaches take note of.

The 35-year-old centerman is challenging his performance from last year's Ice Hockey World Championship. In 2025, O'Reilly scored two goals and four points in eight games. Now he's 75% of the way to tying it. He's on a better pace than he was and he isn't slowing down anytime soon.

O'Reilly and Canada play again Monday morning versus Denmark at 9:20 CDT.

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