MOSCOW, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Defending champions Sweden remained unbeaten by sailing over Denmark 5-2 and Germany toppled the Czech Republic 2-0 at the ice hockey world championship on Thursday.

The Czechs, world champions in 2005 and silver medallists last year, suffered their defeat as Dimitri Kotschnew stopped 21 shots to give Germany the shock victory.

In other games, Finland needed two late goals to edge Switzerland 2-0 while the United States kept their medal hopes on track with a 4-2 win over Slovakia.

The only country to win Olympic and world titles in the same year, Sweden spotted Denmark a 2-0 first-period lead then stormed back with five unanswered goals to remain unbeaten and move top of the Group E standings.

Against the Czechs who entered the qualifying round with a perfect 3-0 record, the Germans recorded their first win over the Czechs since the last time the worlds were staged in Moscow in 1986.

The German defence kept the high-powered Czech attack at bay, limiting the six-time world champions to a handful of good scoring chances which Kotschnew clinically turned aside.

The United States and Slovakia entered their second-round clash with identical 2-1 records but the Slovaks could not keep pace with the Americans, who are bidding to end a 47-year world championship gold medal drought.