USA and Canada Head to Quarterfinals as Group Winners

The United States won Group B on Thursday night as it shutout Sweden 4-0 in both teams' final matchup of the preliminary round at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
It was Sweden's second consecutive loss after falling 4-3 in overtime to Russia on Wednesday, ending a 54-game win streak in the preliminary round. USA's victory marked Sweden's first regulation defeat in pool play since losing 2-0 to Canada on Dec. 26, 2006.
Colorado Avalanche prospect Drew Helleson opened the game's scoring just 1:09 after the opening faceoff for Team USA, which added a second tally less than three minutes later. The Americans recorded two more markers in the middle period.

Helleson finished with five shots and 16:06 of ice time, and his goal was his second of the tournament and marked his third point overall.
Depending on the outcome of Thursday night's contest, the U.S., Sweden or Russia could have finished in the top spot on the group, but the regulation win by the Americans gave them the edge with nine points and a 3-0-0-1 record. Russia finished with eight points (2-1-0-1), while Sweden ended with seven (2-0-1-1).
The U.S. plays Slovakia, the fourth-place country from Group A that posted a 1-0-1-2 mark in the preliminary round, in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Game time is set for 8:30 p.m. MT.

Canada (4) vs. Finland (1)

Canada finished atop Group A on Thursday night after defeating Finland 4-1 in each team's last game of the preliminary round of the 2021 World Juniors in Edmonton.
The Canadians outshot the Finns 40-19, including by a 17-1 margin in the first period, and led 3-0 after two periods of play. Finland had a strong push in the third frame, receiving a goal from Brad Lambert and holding a 12-5 edge in shots, but it wasn't able to close the gap before a late empty-net goal by Dylan Cozens.
Colorado Avalanche prospect Bowen Byram played a team-high 22:00 for Canada. He also had an assist after his shot from the high slot rebounded in the low crease and Peyton Krebs knocked in the loose puck to extend the lead to 3-0 midway through the second frame.
Fellow Canada defenseman and Avs prospect Justin Barron played 12:41, while forward Alex Newhook played 5:37 before leaving early in the second period with an upper-body injury. Newhook's status for the rest of the tournament is unknown at this time.
As winners of Group A after posting a 4-0-0-0 record in the preliminary round, Canada will play the Czech Republic--the fourth place team in Group B with a 2-0-0-2 record--at 5 p.m. MT in the quarterfinals on Saturday.