Group A Preliminary Games
1:00pm EST: Czech Republic vs. Sweden
Sweden is the undisputed top seed in Group A, but the second spot is still up for grabs. Alex Nylander is having a great tournament, and he factored into all three of Sweden’s goals against Finland on Thursday. Even after a close loss to Denmark, the Czechs have set themselves up as a competitive team so far in group play. The game will be broadcast on TSN3/5 in Canada.
5:30pm EST: Switzerland vs. Finland
After taking home the gold last year, Finland is already headed to the relegation round, but the Swiss are gunning for the second spot in Group A. Ten different players registered at least one point in Switzerland’s OT win against Denmark yesterday, and team captain Calvin Thurkauf is returning from his one-game suspension. Catch the action on TSN 3/5 and RDS2, or on NHL Network in the US.
Group B Preliminary Games
Both teams are undefeated, and this will be the game that decides the first seed for Group B. Neither coach has been willing to say who will be in net, but both teams’ goalies have been strong so far. The Canadians and Americans are coming in fresh after taking Friday off, and this might not be a medal-round game, but the competition will be fierce. Taylor Raddysh and Clayton Keller both had great games on Thursday, so their respective teams will be looking to build off of that. You can watch on TSN1/3/4/5 and RDS in Canada, and on NHL Network in the United States.
8:00pm EST: Slovakia vs. Russia
After winning their most crucial game of the group round against Latvia yesterday, the Slovaks have already avoided the relegation round, but now they will be battling Russia for the third spot in Group B behind the US and Canada. The Russians are looking to bounce back after a tough loss to USA on Thursday, and if Kirill Kaprizov stays hot, they certainly have a good chance. Expect Ilya Samsonov back in net, as he has also looked good in the preliminary games so far. Watch on TSN1/3/4/5 in Canada, and it will also be on NHL Network in the US.
