Both teams played well in their semi-final matchups on Wednesday, helping to make for one of the most entertaining days of World Junior Hockey Championship action in recent memory. Unfortunately two teams had to come out on the losing end, and now Russia and Sweden find themselves in a consolation match for a bronze medal.
The key to any bronze-medal game is mustering up the desire to compete for a win just hours after suffering a disappointing defeat. These two teams have the capability to put on a show, and it will just be a matter of whether they’re feeling up to it.
Both sides have great goaltending, with Ilya Samsonov of Russia and Sweden’s Felix Sandstrom playing consistently well for their clubs for the duration of the tournament. If they get the call again, they should help give their side a good chance.
The game will also feature four of the top six point-getters this year. Alexander Nylander and Kirill Kaprizov top the scoring list with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Joel Eriksson Ek and Mikhail Vorobyov aren’t far behind with nine points apiece. With a tournament scoring title potentially on the line, there should be added incentive for these players to perform.
How to watch
Puck drop: 3:30 PM EST / 12:30 PM PST
In Canada: TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, TSN4K (English), RDS (French)
Streaming: TSNGo
Team Russia’s projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #10 Alexander Polunin |
#7 Kirill Kaprizov |
#24 Mikhail Vorobyov |
| #19 Pavel Karnaukhov |
#9 Danila Kvartalnov |
#27 Denis Guryanov |
| #25 Yakov Trenin |
#8 Kirill Urakov |
#22 Danil Yurtaikin |
| #21 Denis Alexeyev |
#14 Kirill Belyayev |
|
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #28 Yegor Rykov |
#3 Mikhail Sidorov |
| #26 Mikhail Sergachev |
#2 Vadim Kudako |
| #15 Yegor Voronkov |
#6 Sergey Zborovskiy |
|
#23 Grigoriy Dronov |
| Goaltenders |
| Goaltenders |
| #30 Ilya Samsonov |
| #20 Vladislav Sukhachyov |
Team Sweden projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #14 Elias Pettersson |
#15 Lias Andersson |
#16 Carl Grundström |
| #24 Jens Lööke |
#18 Rasmus Asplund |
#27 Jonathan Dahlen |
| #17 Fredrik Karlström |
#20 Joel Eriksson-Ek |
#19 Alexander Nylander |
| #25 Sebastian Ohlsson |
#28 Andreas Wingerli |
#11 Filip Ahl |
|
#29 Tim Söderlund |
|
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #7 Oliver Kyllington |
#9 Gabriel Carlsson |
| #4 Jacob Larsson |
#6 Kristoffer Gunnarsson |
| #5 David Bernhardt |
#23 Lucas Carlsson |
| #8 Rasmus Dahlin |
|
| Goaltenders |
| Goaltenders |
| #1 Felix Sandström |
| #30 Filip Gustavsson |
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