New Year’s Eve traditionally provides some of the best games of round robin play at the World Juniors and Saturday exceeded all expectations.
Things began with a thrilling 4-3 shootout win by Switzerland over Slovakia — who came into the final day of pool play with a legitimate shot at finishing first in Group B.
In the 🔟th round of the shootout … Rodwin Dionicio wins it for 🇨🇭🥳 #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/QgMOJcEjsZ
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) December 31, 2022
Game 2 was a dominant performance by Czechia over Germany, further solidifying the former’s impressive run thus far. Czechia finished pool play with a 3-0-1-0 record en route to earning the top seed in Group A.
Then came the marquee matchups.
Team USA needed a win to claim the top spot in Group B and they were tied with Finland 1-1 after 20 minutes of action.
A three goal second period helped Team USA enter the final stanza with a not-so-comfortable 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. Two-goal leads can evaporate quickly at the WJC. Not this time, though. USA played a solid defensive game and tacked on two more goals to finish off the Finns 6-2 and earning top honors in Group B.
For the night cap, Team Canada gave the home crowd plenty to cheer for. Connor Bedard, expected to be the top pick at next summer’s NHL Draft, recorded four assists in a win over Sweden. This tied him with Eric Lindros for the Canadian World Juniors all-time points record. Canada’s victory also locked up the second seed in Group A, while the loss dropped Sweden from No. 1 down to No. 3.
Final Standings
Group A
1. Czechia – 10 points
2. Canada – 9 pts
3. Sweden – 8 pts
4. Germany – 3 pts
5. Austria – 0 pts
Group B
1. USA – 9 points
2. Finland – 7 pts
3. Slovakia – 7 pts
4. Switzerland – 6 pts
5. Latvia – 1 pt
Quarterfinal Matchups
Monday, January 2 will feature four single elimination playoff games:
Finland vs. Sweden (8am PST)
Czechia vs. Switzerland (10:30am)
USA vs. Germany (1pm)
Canada vs. Slovakia (3:30pm)
There will also be a best-of-three relegation series played between Latvia and Austria. Game 1 will begin the action on Monday, with a 6:30am puck drop. Game 2 of that series will be played on Wednesday, as all teams have Tuesday off.
NOTE: All games will be televised by NHL Network
The four teams advancing out of the Quarterfinals will meet in the Semifinals on Wednesday. The IIHF will reseed the teams, so there is not a traditional bracket available. Should USA and Canada both advance, they could meet up in the Semifinals depending on what happens in the other two games. Should all four of the top seeds advance (Finland, Czechia, USA, and Canada), Canada and USA could only meet in the gold medal game — if each team won again in the Semifinals.
LA Kings Prospects at 2023 WJC
All three Kings prospects will play in the Quarterfinals and with a win by their respective teams on Monday, they’ll have a chance to play for a medal at the 2023 World Juniors.
Here’s how each of LA’s prospects performed over four games played in the opening round:
Otto Salin – Finland, Defense
3 points (0G, 3A), plus-3
Brandt Clarke – Canada, Defense
4 points (1G, 3A), plus-4
Kenny Connors – USA, Forward
0 points, minus-1
More on each player can be found in the article linked below.
RELATED CONTENT:
WJC Preview – LA Kings Prospects to Watch and Tournament Schedule
Photo via IIHF / Team USA
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