Canada set to battle Czechia in quarterfinals action at World Juniors
Published
The preliminary round of games is all wrapped up at the World Junior Championship, and the quarterfinals are set to get underway on Tuesday with a quadruple-header.
Canada vs. Czechia
Canada ended their preliminary round with three wins and one loss, as they were shut out by Sweden (2-0) but had strong wins against Finland (5-2), Latvia (10-0) and Germany (6-3).
The status of a one player in the Canadian lineup is up in the air heading into their game on Tuesday - forward Matt Savoie was forced to miss their game against Germany on Sunday with an undisclosed injury.
Head coach Alan Letang said Monday morning that Savoie "looked fine" and that they expect to know his status for the game on Tuesday morning. Jagger Firkus was called up to the roster on the weekend and practiced Monday in case Savoie is unable to play.
Their opponent, Czechia, finished third in Group B with two wins and two losses. They were successful against Switzerland (4-2) and Norway (8-1), but fell to the United States (4-3) and Slovakia (6-2).
Macklin Celebrini has been as advertised for Canada in this tournament so far, as he ranks tied for second in the tournament with eight points. Jiri Kulich, who has appeared in a game for the Buffalo Sabres this season, is one of two players for Czechia at seven points through four games, with four goals and three assists. Matyas Melovsky has contributed seven assists.
Canada seeks to win their third consecutive World Juniors, and fifth in the last seven tournaments.
Finland vs. Slovakia
Tuesday's action kicks off with a battle between Finland and Slovakia before Canada plays Czechia in the second slot.
Wacth the first quarter-final LIVE NOW on TSN3/4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Finland emerged from Group A as the third-ranked team, and they were able to rally after dropping their two opening matches against Canada (5-2) and Germany (4-3) on the first two days of the tournament.
They trounced Latvia 4-0 on December 29, and defeated Sweden (5-4) in a shootout in their final preliminary game.
Slovakia, meanwhile, started strong with wins in their first three games before they were overwhelmed 10-2 by the United States in a game that decided the winner of Group B. Servac Petrovsky currently leads the tournament in points with four goals and five assists for nine points.
Latvia vs. United States
United States were the only team to emerge from the preliminary round without a loss, as they beat Norway (4-1), Switzerland (11-3), Czechia (4-3) and Slovakia (10-2).
Gavin Brindley, Cutter Gauthier and Frank Nazar are all tied for second in tournament scoring with eight points. Brindley leads all players with six goals.
Latvia were able to overcome Germany (6-2) to claim the last slot from Group A, but their three losses to Finland, Canada and and Sweden were by a combined score of 20-0.
Sweden vs. Switzerland
The final matchup of the day pits Switzerland against host Sweden.
Sweden earned the top spot out of Group A, with their only trip-up coming in a 5-4 shootout loss to Finland on Sunday. In their three previous games, they recorded shutouts in victories against Canada (2-0), Germany (5-0) and Latvia (6-0).
Hugo Havelid was perfect in his two games in net for Sweden, stopping all 41 shots he faced. Thelin Melker was perfect against Germany but ran into trouble against Finland. His save percentage of .909 ranks sixth in the tournament, while Havelid's predictably is the best mark among the 14 goalkeepers to see ice time.
Switzerland claimed their only win of the preliminary round against Norway (6-2), which gave them the fourth and final slot in Group B.
How to watch World Juniors quarterfinals action on TSN
You can watch Canada vs. Czechia, along with every game at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, LIVE on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
When: Tuesday, Jan. 2
Main coverage: Starting at 6am ET / 3am PT with Finland vs. Slovakia, followed by Canada vs. Czechia, Latvia vs. United States and Switzerland vs. Sweden
Where to watch: TSN4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.