World Cup Hockey Predictions: Finland/Russia, USA/Czech Republic
By Ryan Ritchie
World Cup Hockey: Day Six Predictions (Team Finland vs. Team Russia and Team USA vs. Team Czech Republic)
World Cup Hockey action continued on Wednesday with semifinals clinching scenarios. Team Sweden lost to Team North America in OT during the afternoon tilt helping the Swedes clinch Group B. Later on, Team Canada met up with Team Europe in a meeting of undefeated teams. The Canadians walked out victorious capturing top spot in Group A.
Round robin competition closes out today with an important afternoon game. If Team Russia can knock off Team Finland, they’ll meet up with the Canadians on Saturday in the first semifinal. If they lose, Team North America moves on. The late game on Thursday is a matchup of winless teams. The Americans will look to close out a disappointing World Cup of Hockey on a high-note.
Day Six Action:
Finland vs. Russia (3:00PM EST) – ESPN in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
USA vs. Czech Republic (8:00PM EST) – ESPN2 in USA, Sportsnet in Canada
World Cup Hockey: Day Six Predictions
Finnish Veterans Step up to Knock Off to Russians
Team Finland failed to show up for their first two games. It was a combination of factors, but perhaps their biggest downfall thus far is the effort from their veterans. While it’s too late to continue their international dominance in 2016, they have an opportunity to go out on a high-note playing spoiler by knocking off the Russians.
Expect the Finnish veterans to step up on Thursday afternoon. That group includes Valtteri Filppula, Mikko Koivu, Leo Komarov, and Jussi Jokinen. If the Finns hope to win at least one game, they’ll need those four players to lead the charge.
Goaltending Spectacle in Afternoon Game
It should be no surprise that Team Russia will once again likely turn to Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes. He has been solid ever since the beginning of the pre-tournament and one could argue is among MVP candidates.
For Team Finland, they’ll more than likely turn to Tuukka Rask again after out playing Pekka Rinne (4-1 loss in the opener).
Don’t be surprised if it’s a low-scoring affair on Thursday afternoon. There shouldn’t be too many soft goals getting by netminders as both teams look for a strong finish. Neither of these countries wants to go home with the questions following a loss.
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Americans Bounce Back After Disappointing Start to World Cup
Who could have predicted Team USA being 0-2 after their first two games? You can bet their lackluster effort against Canada on Wednesday will be enough to fuel this group to finish the World Cup off strong.
The good news? Team Czech Republic was arguably the worst team heading into this tournament already and will likely walk out with that title once Thursday night’s contest is concluded. The last thing Team USA wants to do is add fuel to the fire on a program that is already facing a firestorm of questions.
Czechs Go Winless, As Predicted
A couple of weeks ago, we released five bold predictions for the World Cup of Hockey with most of them still looking good so far. Among those, we projected that Team Czech Republic would fail to record a win. They squandered their best opportunity against Europe and now look destined to finish dead last unless they can pull off a shocker against the Americans.
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Results Prediction:
Team Finland (2)
Team Russia (1)
G – Koivu, Laine
G – Kuznetsov
Team USA (4)
Team Czech Republic (1)
G – Parise, Kane, Pavelski, Wheeler
G – Cervenka