Canada vs. Czech Republic
How to watch
Puck drop: 8:00 PM EST / 5:00 PM PST
In Canada: TSN1, TSN3, TSN4 (English,) RDS (French)
In the United States: NHL Network
Live stream: TSN Direct, RDS Direct
Switzerland offered a much stiffer test that the Danes managed in the first day of the tournament, keeping Canada honest in a 3-2 contest. It required Canada to play right to the final whistle, with Montreal Canadiens prospect Josh Brook doing some good work on defence to help run out the clock.
With the competition level ramping up as Canada goes along, they face what will be an even tougher opponent in tonight’s game. The Czechs also had a nailbiting meeting with the Swiss to begin the tournament, getting past the team with a 2-1 decision in overtime. A difficult power-play showing yesterday cost them the game, as Russia scored two short-handed goals to come away with a 2-1 win.
Scoring has been a bit of an issue for the Czechs, so they have turned to 2018 draft selection Jan Jenik to give them a bosst. The sparkplug centre will help put pressure on Canada’s defence to allow opportunities for more skilled players, and that will make life difficult for the blue-liners tonight.
Related
2018 NHL Draft prospect profile: Jan Jeník — A Tiger Cub waiting to roar
Czech netminder Lukáš Dostál has been standing tall for his country, named the player of the game for both matches so far. He won’t be called upon for a third time, however, being saved for the final game versus Denmark instead.
Team Canada projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #14 Maxime Comtois | #8 Cody Glass | #21 Owen Tippett |
| #26 Morgan Frost | #27 Barrett Hayton | #20 Brett Leason |
| #15 Shane Bowers | #11 Jaret Anderson-Dolan | #17 Nick Suzuki |
| #9 Joseph Veleno | #16 MacKenzie Entwistle | #23 Jack Studnicka |
| #22 Alexis Lafrenière |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #18 Markus Phillips | #2 Evan Bouchard |
| #3 Josh Brook | #5 Ian Mitchell |
| #24 Ty Smith | #6 Noah Dobson |
| #4 Jared McIsaac |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| #1 Mikey DiPietro |
| #31 Ian Scott |
Team Czech Republic projected lineup
Forwards
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #26 Kryštof Hrabík | #18 Martin Nečas | #16 Martin Kaut |
| #19 Filip Zadina | #12 Jan Kern | #15 Jakub Lauko |
| #5 Matěj Pekař | #29 Jáchym Kondelík | #25 Jakub Pour |
| #28 Karel Plášek | #17 Ondřej Machala | #13 Jan Hladonik |
| #14 Jan Jeník |
Defencemen
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #10 Jakub Galvas | #7 David Kvasnička |
| #9 Michael Gaspar | #22 Dalimil Mikyska |
| #21 Radim Šalda | #11 Filip Král |
| #23 Daniel Bukač |
Goaltenders
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| #30 Jiří Patera |
| #1 Jakub Škarek |
