IIHF World ChampionshipDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
I have Sweden ranked ahead of Finland, but could see an upset.
Why so incredulous? Maybe people remember 2 OT & 2 SO wins for Sweden last year. Finland was pretty young last year and should be better...I hope they have worked on not losing the puck on a shoot out attempt. Poor Granlund.
I see many are predicting a Finland win against Sweden. Keep in mind they have lost 21 straight games against our U20 team and not won since 2007. They have already lost 3 this year though a few of the best players from both teams were missing. Many of their core players were also on the U18-team from last season, they also failed to beat the Swedish team in 4 tries. Finland will have a very good team that could beat anyone but they seem to have big problems against Sweden just like Sweden have problems beating the US.
It's true, our record against sweden is disastrous from last years, and Sweden has clearly outmatched us. Out of those 5 years however, I would say only the last two years (maybe only last year) we have had a team that can truly compete against sweden. The few years before that we're pretty bad years for us and the player material was very lopsided in favor of Sweden.
This year it's closer than it's been in many years. We're still underdogs due to Sweden having the mental edge and superior depth, however Finland's high-end talent is equal to or even slightly better than what Sweden has to offer. I still wouldn't bet my money on Finland winning but there are some good reasons for optimism.
It's true, our record against sweden is disastrous from last years, and Sweden has clearly outmatched us. Out of those 5 years however, I would say only the last two years (maybe only last year) we have had a team that can truly compete against sweden. The few years before that we're pretty bad years for us and the player material was very lopsided in favor of Sweden.
This year it's closer than it's been in many years. We're still underdogs due to Sweden having the mental edge and superior depth, however Finland's high-end talent is equal to or even slightly better than what Sweden has to offer. I still wouldn't bet my money on Finland winning but there are some good reasons for optimism.
And eventually the law of averages dictates a victory for Finland at some point, so I see Finland and Canada hooking up in the Gold medal game... and it will be a doozy, but Canada wins 4-3.
I said it from of the end of last year, I think they make the final.
Its not just Barkov, Teuvu and Armia. There also is Granlund and Salomaki returning up front.
Returning on D they have Ristolainen, Maata, Pokka (who were all 17 last time around).
The most important thing is that we actually have a hockey coach this year instead of some ex-player.
Simply said, you must have slept during the Super Series because you have no idea just how much emphasis Russia is putting on defensive systems since the new coaching. Not just Juniors, but all accross the board.
Not to mention, this years' Russian defenders are much better than last few years overall. Even the forwards are much more balanced with good KHL experience under their belt.
I don't see any team in the tournament keeping Canada under 4-5 goals in a game - period. This could be the highest scoring team in WJC history based on schedule and talent. On the plus side for Russia/USA/Sweden it wouldn't surprise me to see them put up equally big numbers against the Canada D.
It's true, our record against sweden is disastrous from last years, and Sweden has clearly outmatched us. Out of those 5 years however, I would say only the last two years (maybe only last year) we have had a team that can truly compete against sweden. The few years before that we're pretty bad years for us and the player material was very lopsided in favor of Sweden.
This year it's closer than it's been in many years. We're still underdogs due to Sweden having the mental edge and superior depth, however Finland's high-end talent is equal to or even slightly better than what Sweden has to offer. I still wouldn't bet my money on Finland winning but there are some good reasons for optimism.
If this happened the semis would be A1 v. A3, and B1 v. B3. The bracket is designed to make it A1 v. B2 so if A3 upsets B2, then it's A1 v. A3, and same for the other side
That's what I thought, but I changed it about 5 minutes after posting because it didn't seem right.
I don't see any team in the tournament keeping Canada under 4-5 goals in a game - period. This could be the highest scoring team in WJC history based on schedule and talent. On the plus side for Russia/USA/Sweden it wouldn't surprise me to see them put up equally big numbers against the Canada D.
Can we stick this at the top somewhere at least through the tournament.
I don't see any team in the tournament keeping Canada under 4-5 goals in a game - period. This could be the highest scoring team in WJC history based on schedule and talent. On the plus side for Russia/USA/Sweden it wouldn't surprise me to see them put up equally big numbers against the Canada D.
Canada's team is loaded on the backend. If we have (even) adequate goaltending, we will do fine.
Too many posters only remember the 2nd dream team and forget the 1st - who rolled but struggled at times. The 2005 team was a once in a lifetime team.
I still think Canada wins Gold (too strong up front and on the back end) but it won't be a walk.
I don't see any team in the tournament keeping Canada under 4-5 goals in a game - period. This could be the highest scoring team in WJC history based on schedule and talent. On the plus side for Russia/USA/Sweden it wouldn't surprise me to see them put up equally big numbers against the Canada D.
So...did you not watch ANY of the 10 games against Russia over the past few months?
I was right about the top 3 ranked teams, but only had 5 of the 6 advancing correct. Finland was a disaster, but I thought that pool was going to be tougher than many thought. I believe I was right about Finland's talent level, but they just didn't perform well. It happens. Czechs have met my pre-tournament expectations.
I don't see Switzerland beating Russia, so Russia vs Sweden seems an inevitable semi. Czech vs USA should be interesting. I would guess many will see this as an easy opponent for USA, I don't know if that's the case. USA looked much better against Slovakia, but they didn't put up much of a fight. They admitted being satisfied with beating Germany. The expectations have certainly lowered in Slovakia. Having last change could help the Czechs a little, but USA is still the favorite, even as a third seed. Good luck to both squads, but I think whoever wins will end up in the Bronze medal game. Canada finally had their full roster against Russia and they look too good. I don't really want to face USA again because losing is a huge motivator and Gibson is fully capable of stealing a game.
Poor Granlund.
