The World Championships have six games on tap today in Russia and there are several positions still up for grabs on the final day of group play.
Group A Preliminary Games
5:15 AM ET: Czech Republic vs Switzerland
The Czech Republic have to win this game in order to win the group. They know that either Russia or Sweden will get to (at least) 16 points in the later game, and if they stay at 15 they can finish as low as third. For Switzerland, they must win in regulation time to make the medal round. Otherwise, that final spot will go to Denmark. The game will be shown on TSN4/5 in Canada
9:15 AM ET: Latvia vs Norway
This one is simply for pride, and for seeding. Both teams are clear of Kazakhstan for last place in the group and neither have a chance at the medal round. Both have had strong games in the tournament, but haven’t had enough to finish off their efforts. The game will be shown on TSN1/3 in Canada
Depending on what happens in the first game, this is either a battle for first place or for second place in the group. Russia has been dominant since an opening game loss to the Czechs, while Sweden has gotten by with a less-than-perfect roster. With the winner of this game avoiding Canada or Finland in the quarter finals, there is plenty to play for even if the Czech Republic clinch top spot. The game will be shown on TSN2 in Canada
Group B Preliminary Games
Slovakia looked set through two games in the round robin, but lost four straight games in regulation and must beat the USA in regulation to move on to the medal round. Losses to Germany and Belarus buried the Slovaks and they were unable to muster anything against Finland and Canada. A last minute goal on Mike Condon against Germany cost the Americans a chance to clinch the medal round and increases the importance of this game for them. The game will be shown on TSN1/3 in Canada
9:15 AM ET: Belarus vs France
Belarus, quite simply, is playing to stay in the top division. After losing to Hungary on Saturday, they are tied for last spot in the group but don’t have the tie-breaker. Any point against France will keep them up and force Hungary back to the second tier. France will look to end their tournament on a high note and could finish as high as 5th in the group. The game will be shown on TSN4 in Canada
The winner of this game wins the group and gets Denmark or Switzerland while the loser has to play Sweden, Russia or the Czech Republic. That’s a pretty good incentive for what seem to be the two top teams in the entire tournament. Both teams have steamrolled Group B and this is a great barometer to see how these teams fare against top level competition. The game will be shown on TSN1/3/4/5 in Canada
All games will be streamed here (subject to geo-blocking). TSN Go will be streaming all of the games as well in Canada.
