On New Year’s Eve, Sweden secured a significant victory over the United States, defeating them 6-3 and avenging their gold-medal loss from 2024. This outcome reshapes the landscape for the USA as they aim for a three-peat at the world junior hockey championship. To achieve this, they will now face Finland in the quarterfinals, a rematch of last year’s gold medal game.
Previously, the USA could have settled for a matchup against Latvia had they defeated Sweden and claimed the top spot in Group A. However, the unexpected loss caused a rematch with Finland, who the USA had split games with in the current tournament, although the Americans secured a win in their most crucial faceoff.
In an interesting development, Canada triumphed in Group B with a victory over Finland in a late game on Wednesday night.
Fans can catch the upcoming quarterfinals on January 2, with the relegation game between Germany and Denmark scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The USA’s games and other tournament matches will be available on NHL Network in the United States, while Canadian viewers can watch the action on TSN. Streaming options include Fubo and specific Sling TV packages that offer NHL Network.
As the competition intensifies, both teams will be eager to demonstrate their prowess on the ice, setting the stage for potentially thrilling matchups ahead.