GOTHEBURG, Sweden — On an eventful quarterfinal day in Gothenburg, two upsets sealed a place in the final four. Here are our takeaways and highlights.
- Finland defeated favorites Slovakia 4-3 in overtime. Leni Hamenaho (New Jersey) and Adam Sikora (New York) were named Most Valuable Players.
- The Czech Republic defeated Canada 3-2 at the buzzer at the end of regulation.
- USA defeated Latvia 7-2. Gabe Perreault (New York State) scored two goals and scored three points and was named the U.S. Player of the Game. Devils defensive prospect Seamus Casey also had a day with three points.
- Host Sweden defeated Switzerland 3-2 in extra time.
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Canada upset, loses to Czech Republic at World Juniors
Philippe Messard’s heroism is not enough for Slovakia
Canada’s near-death loss will dominate the headlines, but Finland’s 4-3 overtime win over Slovakia was a game that was dominated by the incredible heroics of Canadian first-round pick Philippe Messard. This made it the most dramatic match of the tournament so far. In the end, he wasn’t one of the team’s best three players (Sabres second-rounder Maxim Stback, Wild candidate Selvak Petrovsky, and Blackhawks goalie candidate Adam Gajan are also worthy candidates). , Messard all but guaranteed his team a spot in the semifinals. This was a play where Adam Sikora (New York State) pushed in and took a shot to score from a rebound with 0.2 seconds left in the game after the game was tied with 1.7 seconds left in the first period. And it was his shot again with 44 seconds left in the game that forced overtime. Messar finished the tournament with two goals, seven assists, and a team-high nine points (tied with Petrovsky) in five games. His speed, skill, and hustle were on display throughout the tournament.
I liked the game played by Leni Hamenaho (NJD), the Finnish national team. He scored and had several chances at the net and near the slot. He didn’t score any points in the early stages of the tournament, but he looked like Finland’s best forward in back-to-back wins against Sweden and Slovakia, so they will need him in the semi-finals. — Scott Wheeler
Michael Hrabal leads Czech Republic to semi-finals
Michal Hrabal (ARI) had a great performance for the Czech Republic today and was the main reason why the Czech Republic beat Canada. As an athletic 6-foot-6 netminder, he made a number of tough stops as Canada applied pressure throughout the second half of the game, which proved extremely difficult to beat. Hrabal has a history of great performances at the international level. He was able to make a difference in the game and showed once again that he has the potential to be a starting goaltender in the NHL. — Corey Pronman
The thickness of the Canadian layer turns out to be a problem.
Maclin Chebrini, the projected No. 1 pick in 2024, had a strong tournament, but overall the top six forwards, including Jordan Dumais (CBJ), Connor Geekie (ARI), and Frazier, faced a tough tournament. He didn’t show up in the game and couldn’t make an impact. Minten (TOR) Matthew Poitras (BOS) and Matt Savoie (BUF). During the Finland vs. Sweden round-robin game and the quarterfinals, these five players scored a total of one goal and three points, two of which came from empty-net goals against Finland.
Canada also had to ride too much on its top pairing of Denton Matejczuk (CBJ) and Maverick Lamoureux (ARI) as they were unable to get reliable playing time from many of their other blueliners. — Corey Pronman
Axel Sandin Pelica saves Sweden from upset
Axel Sandin Pelica (DET) thought he had scored for the first time at the end of the first period, but his shot missed the goal line just after the buzzer. And he actually scored more than five minutes into a tense 3-on-3 overtime period, saving Sweden from a surprising upset against Switzerland. It was his first goal of the tournament and the Swede’s biggest goal to date. In the end, it was his first goal and his third in five games. Sandin Pelica was on this team to provide offense and he gave it to them when they needed it most. He also played 20 minutes and 50 seconds in this game, and added three shots on goal, bringing his total to 15 in the tournament (highest among Swedish defenders).
I also thought the pairing of Jonathan Reckelimäki (VAN) and Noah Østlund (BUF) would be great for Sweden. They are Sweden’s most dangerous duo up front and attracted a lot of attention on Tuesday. Lekkerimäki scored Sweden’s second goal and provided the assist for the winning goal, taking them to seven points from five games. Ostlund also contributed to the win, winning a lot of pucks (he also scored up to 7 points). His skating and cunning really jumped out here. — Scott Wheeler
The World Juniors will be closed on January 3rd. The schedule for the semi-finals and relegation games on January 4th is as follows:
- Germany vs. Norway, 5 a.m. ET
- Sweden vs. Czech Republic, 9 a.m. ET
- USA vs. Finland, 1:30 p.m. ET
(Photo: Adam Ihse/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP, Getty Images)