MWC 2017: Quarterfinal matchups and predictions
The IIHF World Championship groups finished up today, and the top four teams from each group have set their match-ups for the quarterfinals. Here’s a look into what’s to come.
USA vs. Finland – Thursday, May 18th
The United States started off the MWC 2017 with a bit of a hiccup, losing to underdogs Germany 2-1. Despite this loss, they showed their resilience by winning their next six group stage games in a row.
The Americans are lead in scoring by Johnny Gaudreau, six goals and five assists, and Dylan Larkin, two goals and eight assists. The addition of Kevin Hayes has also proven to be a huge boost, as Hayes was named player of the game in his first game of the MWC 2017.
Finland is a weird team to look at. On paper they look like a team that can challenge for one of the top spots in their group, yet they finished fourth. Inconsistency is the word that best describes this Finland team, and it will likely be the reason they won’t beat the USA in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: USA 5 – Finland 2
Russia vs. Czech Republic – Thursday, May 18th
Russia is another team that has experienced a good deal of success at the WCM 2017. If not for their loss in the final game to the USA, they would have finished top of their group. They scored a whopping 32 goals in their seven group games, something the Czech Republic is probably very worried about.
The Russians have a slew of talent at their disposal. Artemi Pananrin is leading the entire tournament in points, with three goals and 10 assists. And to compliment Panarin, the Russians also have newly-acquired Vegas Golden Knight Vadim Shipachyov, who is tied for second in scoring in the tournament with two goals and ten assists.
The Czech Republic, however, is not a team that should be taken lightly. Their only two losses in the group came to Canada (4-1) in their first game, and Switzerland (3-1) in their final game. They are definitely going to give Russia something to think about, but might find it tough to restrain the offensive talent they’ll be facing.
Prediction: Russia 4 – Czech Republic 3
Canada vs. Germany – Thursday, May 18th
Canada made easy work of Group B at the MWC 2017, winning all but one of their games. Their only loss came to Switzerland, who earned at least a point from every game they played. Losing to Switzerland is as good as a loss can look.
Aside from the Switzerland loss, Canada pretty well dominated their group, with only France able to keep their loss by one goal. Canada is being led in scoring by Nathan MacKinnon, who has five goals and seven assists during the tournament.
Germany is a bit of a different story. The host nation has had a solid tournament, relative to their expectations coming into the MWC 2017. They started off the tournament with a huge upset over Team USA, a win that likely gave them the confidence needed to advance to the quarterfinals.
After beating the Americans, the Germans suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Sweden (7-2) and Russia (6-3). They were, however, able to rebound with wins over Slovakia and Italy coming on either side of a 3-2 loss to Denmark. The Germans needed to pull off a shootout win over Latvia to secure fourth place.
Prediction: Canada 7 – Germany 1
Next: Five players to watch at the IIHF World Championship
Switzerland vs. Sweden – Thursday, May 18th
The Swiss proved that they could hang with the best of them during the group stage. Switzerland was the only team that was able to beat the Canadians, winning 3-2. And even with their slip up against France, they were able to perform at a consistent level and finish second in the group.
They are a solid team with plenty of talent to boot. While Sweden is another very talented team, this could very well be one of the tightest match-ups in the quarterfinals of the MWC 2017.
Sweden is another team that had a very strong tournament, finishing third in their group. Their only losses came to the USA (4-3) and Russia (2-1). The fact that they held Russia to two goals, and they kept the game with the USA a tight affair is testament enough to their talent. William Nylander leads the way for the Swedes with five goals and five assists at the MWC 2017.
Prediction: Sweden 3 – Switzerland 2