5 things learned from Day 10 of World Juniors

Thursday was the 10th day of the 2018 World Junior Championship, which is being played in Buffalo.

Results

Semifinal round

Sweden 4, United States 2
Canada 7, Czech Republic 2

Relegation round

Denmark 3, Belarus 2 (SO)

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED

There's no place like home

Forward Alexander Nylander will have a chance to win an IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal on the home ice of the team that selected him in the first round (No. 8) of the 2016 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres, when Sweden plays Canada in the 2018 final at KeyBank Center on Friday (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS).
"I'm trying to soak it all in especially since it's in my future home where I might play, so I'm real excited that we're in the finals and to play here," Nylander said. "Tomorrow is going to be all-in and we're just going to work really hard. I've played in this tournament three years in a row now and lost in the semifinals the past two, so I'm just excited to grab a big win."
Nylander, who is an alternate captain for Sweden, had one assist and three shots on goal in a 4-2 win against the United States in the semifinal round Thursday. He has seven points (one goal, six assists) and leads all Sweden forwards with 20 shots in six games.
He tied his father, Michael Nylander, in career scoring at World Juniors. Alexander has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 20 WJC games. Michael, who played 15 NHL seasons, had 28 (14 goals, 14 assists) in 14 career WJC games over two years.
"I think it's been great for my whole family; obviously they're watching me and my brother (William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs)," Alexander said. "We're fortunate to have them here to support us."

Hats off to Batherson

Drake Batherson, a fourth-round selection (No. 121) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL Draft, certainly is looking like a value pick for Ottawa with his strong performance at World Juniors.
Batherson (6-foot-1, 187 pounds) scored three goals, including two on the power play, on three shots to help Canada reach the gold-medal game for the third time in four years with its 7-2 win against the Czech Republic. Canada, which is seeking its 17th gold medal and first since 2015, lost 5-4 in a shootout to the United States in the 2017 final.
"His shot (stands out)," Canada goalie Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers) said. "I know he got a couple of goals from the net front, and that's what really good players do, step up in really big moments."
Batherson, who plays for Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, was named one of the top three players for Canada as selected by the team. Batherson is tied with U.S. left wing Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders) and Czech Republic center Filip Zadina for the tournament lead with seven goals and four power-play goals, and he leads the tournament with three game-winning goals.
"My father (Norm Batherson) and uncle (Dennis Vial) both played professional hockey and were really always there for me," Batherson said. "They just told me to keep working. I've always had a true passion for hockey and I was a smaller guy growing up through midget. I always knew I was going to grow and I just kept working, and I think the time has come now and I think I'm really showing what I can do."

Football legend drops ceremonial puck

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas, who dropped the ceremonial puck prior to the 2018 World Junior Championship semifinal round match between the United States and Sweden, happens to be one of the biggest hockey fans around.
Thomas said one of the biggest sports figures he remembers while growing up in Houston, Texas, was Gordie Howe, who played four seasons with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association from 1973-77.
"The only thing I heard was Gordie Howe playing for Aeros, and once I came to Buffalo after being drafted in 1988, I was hanging out with teammates Kent Hull and Will Wolford, and they took me to a Sabres game at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and I had a great time.
"I've known a lot of great NHL players who have come through like the French Connection (Gilbert Perreault, Richard Martin, Rene Robert), Dominik Hasek, Michael Peca, and I'm friends with Evander Kane and Jack Eichel, so I've kept it going the whole time. I'm a big hockey fan and will continue to be as long as I'm here in Buffalo."

Outdoor game feedback

The outdoor game between the United States and Canada left lasting memories for those 44,592 fans at New Era Field on Dec. 29, but IIHF president Rene Fasel said staging such an event each year at the tournament is not in its plans.
"We had a very good experience in 2010 World Championship in Germany before 77,000-plus at Veltins-Arena (an outdoor soccer stadium)," Fasel said. "If you do this every year, then maybe you lose some interest."
USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher wasn't ready to commit to another outdoor game the next time the WJC is held in the United States, saying he and his staff would examine it.
The United States came back from down 2-0 and 3-1 to defeat Canada 4-3 in a shootout in the first WJC outdoor game.
"I think this year's game is one of those instant classics that you're going to see repeatedly on the NHL Network," Kelleher said. "To have that storyline with the snow and the shoveling made it something extra special. We couldn't have scripted that ending any better for us to come back from two goals down and win a shootout."

Denmark wins relegation round

Right wing Jonas Rondbjerg (Vegas Golden Knights) scored in the first period and in the fifth round of the shootout to help Denmark to a 3-2 win against Belarus to complete a sweep in the best-of-3 relegation series at KeyBank Center.
The victory assures Denmark participation in the 2019 WJC in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
Belarus was relegated from the top division to Division I-A. Kazakhstan was promoted to the 2019 WJC after winning the 2018 Division I-A section.
Denmark left wing Joachim Blichfeld (San Jose Sharks), who was removed from the ice on a stretcher 10:45 into the second period after being hit into the boards, is feeling well after he was taken to the hospital for X-rays and further observation, coach Olaf Eller said.

What's next | Complete schedule

Friday

Gold-medal game

Sweden vs. Canada, at KeyBank Center (8 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS)

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Bronze-medal game

Czech Republic vs. United States, at KeyBank Center (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS)