Group A Preliminary Games
8:30 AM ET: Latvia vs Finland
Finland will need to bounce back after losing two straight games to open the tournament. The loss to Canada could have been foreseen, but the loss to Germany is one that they will need to bounce back from. Their start to the tournament is reminiscent of their worst tournament in recent memory that saw them end up in the relegation round against… Latvia. Latvia has had two tough games against Sweden and Canada, and it may not get much easier here. Their big game might be against Germany but even a win there may not matter if they don’t put up a fight in this one. The game will be on TSN 1/3/4 and RDS in Canada and NHL Network in the US.
1:30 PM ET: Sweden vs Canada
Make no mistake about it, between the potential atmosphere in the Scandinavium and the two best teams in Group A, this is the most anticipated game of the entire group stage. Sweden defeated Latvia and Germany in the tournament so far, while Canada has defeated Latvia and Finland. This will be the toughest matchup either team has had since they faced the United States in pre-tournament play. Can Macklin Celebrini keep his great run going? Sweden will get Elias Salomonsson back from his one-game suspension after getting ejected 25 seconds into the opener. The game will be on TSN 1/3/4 and RDS in Canada and NHL Network in the US.
Group B Preliminary Games
6:00 AM ET: Slovakia vs Norway
Slovakia has a chance to place a stranglehold on a top-two spot in the group as they look for their third straight win in group play. They will look to continue their opportunistic offensive play, and getting great goaltending from Adam Gajan. Norway had a bit of a setback against Czechia after pushing the United States as hard as they could. They could bounce back in this game, or they could be focusing all their attention on their final game against Switzerland for a quarterfinal spot. The game will be on TSN 1/3/5 and RDS in Canada and NHL Network in the US.
11:00 AM ET: Czechia vs United States
Czechia had a big bounce back game against Norway and their top players like Jiri Kulich and Eduard Sale had huge games. After a tough opening loss to Slovakia, this is an opportunity for Czechia to show that they belong in the medal conversation. The United States recovered from a tough start against Norway with a huge game against Switzerland. They remain the favourites and will likely stay that way until the medal round. The game will be on TSN 3/5 and RDS2 in Canada and NHL Network in the US.
All games shown on TSN will be streamed on TSN+ in Canada, but it requires a subscription.
