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Finland vs. Germany (12 p.m. ET) -- Finland's top line features two of the top three players in the scoring race in forwards
Joakim Kemell
(Nashville Predators) and
Aatu Raty
(New York Islanders); each has nine points (three goals, six assists). "It's a good combination," Finland coach Antti Pennanen said. "Aatu is really smart and he can make some plays and Kemell has a great shot as we all know, and
Roni Hirvonen
(Toronto Maple Leafs) is so mature, he plays with good maturity and good responsibility. So it's a good combination. … It's fun to watch when they are playing." It might not be as much fun for Germany, which lost 2-1 to Russia in the 2021 WJC quarterfinals. A key for Germany will be staying disciplined; it was 8-for-12 (66.7 percent) on the penalty kill in the preliminary round. Finland leads the tournament with nine power-play goals.
Sweden vs. Latvia (3:30 p.m.) --Latvia still is relishing its first win at the World Juniors, a 5-2 victory against Czechia on Sunday that secured third place in Group A. It has been led by goalie Bruno Bruveris (2023 NHL Draft eligible), who has a .913 save percentage in three games despite facing an average of 38.3 shots on goal per game. Sweden, among the favorites to win the tournament, won't take Latvia lightly. "They're running hot and they're fearless," Sweden coach Tomas Monten said. "… They skated hard for 60 minutes. We have to take their speed and energy down and not get whipped into an emotional game." Defenseman
Simon Edvinsson
(Detroit Red Wings), who leads Sweden with an average ice time of 22:27 per game, didn't play against Germany on Monday but Monten said he soul dhplay Wednesady. It's been another defenseman,
Emil Andrae
(Philadelphia Flyers), who has excelled offensively; his seven points (three goals, four assists) lead all defensemen.
Fabian Lysell
(Boston Bruins) has keyed a balanced forward group with four points (one goal, three assists) in four games.
Canada vs. Switzerland (7 p.m. ET) -- Canada forward
Mason McTavish
(Anaheim Ducks) leads the tournament with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in four games. His line, along with
Brennan Othmann
(New York Rangers) and Connor Bedard (2023 draft eligible) has found some great chemistry, combining for nine points (five goals, four assists) the past two games. But it's been a full team effort for Canada, personified by third-line center
Ridly Greig
(Ottawa Senators). He has six points (three goals, three assists) and also has won key face-offs, blocked shots and has helped kill penalties. "We've asked guys to turn their skill set over to the team and he's done that," coach Dave Cameron said. "He plays in all situations, power play, penalty kill, blocks shots when we're down two guys. He's committing himself. So full marks to him and it's a real reason he's going to play in the National Hockey League for a long time." Switzerland needed a 3-2 win against Austria on Monday to advance. Attilio Biasca (2023 draft eligible), who scored the winning goal, is tied for the Switzerland lead with four points (two goals, two assists).
United States vs. Czechia (10:30 p.m. ET) -- The defending champions won their four games during the preliminary round by a combined 22-4. Goalie Kaidan Mbereko (2023 draft eligible) has allowed four goals on 65 shots (.938 save percentage) in three games. The U.S. has used a fast forecheck and strong neutral zone play to dominate puck possession. Six players have scored more than two goals, topped by four each from
Carter Mazur
(Red Wings) and
Matt Coronato
(Calgary Flames).
Thomas Bordeleau
(San Jose Sharks) leads the U.S. with seven points (one goal, six assists) and has won 60.7 percent of a tournament-high 89 face-offs. Czechia has struggled to this point, losing its final three preliminary-round games, including 5-2 to Latvia on Sunday.
Jan Mysak
(Montreal Canadiens) leads Czechia with five points (three goals, two assists), but someone else needs to step up offensively. The only other player with more than one goal is
Martin Rysavy
(Columbus Blue Jackets), who has two.
LNH.com staff writer Guillaume Lepage and NHL.com independent correspondent Derek Van Diest contributed to this report.
Quick links
World Junior Championship predictions
World Juniors Championship rosters
Tournament schedule
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