World Cup Hockey Predictions: North America/Sweden, Europe/Canada
By Ryan Ritchie
World Cup Hockey: Day Five Predictions (Team North America vs. Team Sweden and Team Europe vs. Team Canada)
World Cup Hockey action continued on Tuesday in a clash of rivalries. Finland fell short to their Scandinavian neighbor in another disappointing loss. It’s a tough showing for the Finns after they dominated the international scene in 2016. Later on, Canada and USA met up in a make or break game for the Americans. Let’s just say the Team North America will have a lot more fans from the United States.
Round robin competition continues today with a pair of important match-ups. Team North America looks to knock off undefeated Team Sweden this afternoon, then, later on, two undefeated teams in Group A meet up as Team Europe faces off against Team Canada.
Make sure to follow us here at Puck Prose all the way through Thursday (Sept.22) for daily tournament predictions during the preliminary round. We’ll follow it up with a semifinals prediction for action next Saturday/Sunday (Sept.24-25), and then closed out with our best of three final predictions.
Day Four Action:
North America vs. Sweden (3:00PM EST) – ESPN in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
Europe vs. Canada (8:00PM EST) – ESPN2 in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
World Cup Hockey: Day Four Predictions
3-on-3 OT a Theme on Wednesday
How about a little 3-on-3 overtime? That’s exactly what fans may get on Wednesday. At least one of these games should go the distance, possibly both. It’s a new concept the NHL was likely hoping to see a little more frequently than once. The only match-up that needed extra time was the Europe/Czech Republic contest on Monday. Don’t be surprised if we see a lot of OT played over the final two days of round-robin action.
McDavid Steps up in Big Game
Superstars find a way to step up in big moments, and that’s just what the young phenom will do on Wednesday afternoon. Team North America needs to pull off a win against the undefeated Swedes, so what better opportunity for this generational talent to elevate his game and prove why he will soon challenge for the title of best player in the world.
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Canada Comes out Flat, Forced to Fight Back
Perhaps it will have something to do with a hard-fought battle the night before against the Americans. Or, maybe they still find a way to take their 2-0 opponent lightly based on the talent comparison on paper. One way or another, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Canadians come out flat in the opening period falling behind early to Team Europe. It could be one of those games where Team Canada slowly chips away at the European lead and finally takes control late in the third – or as mentioned above, OT victory.
Defense is X-Factor for Canadians
If the Canadians want to have similar success in their third game, they’ll need their blue line to be the standout x-factor. Europe managed to find the back of the net three times against the United States and Czech Republic. If they can limit the Europeans to one or two goals, the offense doesn’t have to score five or six.
Next: World Cup Day Four Predictions
Results Prediction:
Team North America (4)
Team Sweden (3)
G – McDavid (2), Gaudreau, Scheifele
G – Backstrom, Eriksson, Hedman
Team Europe (2)
Team Canada (3)
G – Kopitar, Draisaitl
G – Getzlaf, Thornton, Stamkos