Group A Preliminary Games
9:00 AM ET: Sweden vs Kazakhstan
Group A is not the most balanced group. It would be an absolute shock if Sweden’s round robin winning streak ended against Kazakhstan, who despite some great individual efforts have yet to play a full 60 minutes and earn a victory. Sweden can clinch top spot in Group A with a win. The game will be shown on TSN 3 in Canada.
1:00 PM ET: Switzerland vs Slovakia
Switzerland struggled against Kazakhstan in their opening game and will look to bounce back after a 5-2 loss to Sweden on Saturday. Matthew Verboon and David Aebischer lead the Swiss with three points each. If Slovakia is looking to avoid the final playoff spot in Group A, the Swiss present their best opportunity to get out of it. After beating Kazakhstan, they should be safe from the relegation round and will likely have a tough matchup in the quarterfinal regardless of where they finish. The game will be on TSN 1/3 in Canada. RDS will show the game on delay.
Group B Preliminary Games
9:00 AM ET: Canada vs Germany
Canada is a team in diserray at the World Juniors. Their 6-0 loss against Russia on Saturday not only planted a seed of doubt into their goaltending situation for the second straight game, but they also lost two of their top forwards. Alexis Lafreniere suffered a knee injury and has been ruled out against Germany. His return is questionable for the rest of the tournament. They will also be without Joe Veleno who was suspended after a headbutt in Saturday’s game. Germany is led by Dominik Bokk’s five points and Moritz Seider’s four. They have embraced the role of underdog, putting a scare into the United States and beating the hosts Czech Republic. A win against Canada would be taking the next step. The game will be on TSN 1/4/5 and RDS in Canada, NHL Network in the US.
1:00 PM ET: United States vs Czech Republic
After a rough game against Canada to open the tournament, the United States bounced back with wins over Germany and a convincing 3-1 win over Russia on Sunday. Playing in back-to-back games it will be interesting to see if if they turn back to Dustin Wolf, who beat Germany, or Spencer Knight who beat Russia on Sunday. The Czechs will need to collect more points in their final two games against the US or Canada or they will be going to the relegation round which is not what the hosts were hoping for. The game will be on TSN 4/5 and RDS in Canada, NHL Network in the US.
All games shown on TSN will be streamed on TSN Live in Canada, but it requires a subscription.
