Note: most information from the fanciest of IIHF websites.
Group A
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
Canada
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
+17
|
United
States
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
+8
|
Slovakia
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
-7
|
Finland
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
-3
|
Germany
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
-15
|
December 26
Finland 1 - United States 2 (SO)
Canada 8 - Slovakia 0
December 27
Slovakia 2 - Finland 1
Germany 0 - Canada 4
December 28
United States 6 - Germany 0
December 29
United States 3 - Slovakia 0
Finland 1 - Canada 4
December 30
Slovakia 5 - Germany 2
December 31
Canada 5 - United States 3
Germany 0 - Finland 2
Group B
Team
|
Wins
|
OTW/SOW
|
OTL/SOL
|
Losses
|
Points
|
Goal Diff.
|
Sweden
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
+12
|
Czech
Republic
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
-2
|
Russia
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
+4
|
Denmark
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
-5
|
Switzerland
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
-9
|
December 26
Denmark 2 - Russia 3 (SO)
Sweden 5 - Czech Republic 2
December 27
Denmark 1 -.Sweden 5
Czech Republic 2 - Switzerland 5
December 28
Switzerland 0 - Russia 7
December 29
Czech Republic 4 - Denmark 3 (OT)
Sweden 3 - Russia 2
December 30
Switzerland 3 - Denmark 4 (SO)
December 31
Switzerland 1 - Sweden 5
Russia 1 - Czech Republic 4
Relegation Round
Switzerland 5 - Germany 2
Germany 2 - Switzerland 5
Playoffs
Quarter Finals
USA 2 - Russia 3
Sweden 6 - Finland 3
Czech Republic 0 - Slovakia 3
Canada 8 - Denmark 0
Semi-Finals
Sweden 1 - Russia 4
Canada 5 - Slovakia 1
Bronze Medal Game
Sweden 2 - Slovakia 3
Gold Medal Game
Canada 5 - Russia 4
Team Recaps
Canada: Canada started the tournament just rolling through their opponents. They shut out Slovakia (8-0) and Germany (4-0) in their first two games. Things looked to continue against Finland, as Canada scored a goal in both the first and second period. Their shutout streak would end late in the second. Canada kept up the pressure in the third, scoring twice. Canada beat the Finns 4-1. Meeting the US in the semi-traditional New Years Eve match. The game stayed scoreless until the second, when Max Domi and Josh Morrissey scored three minutes apart to give Canada a 2-0 lead. The Americans would get one back minutes later. Canada added one midway through the third before the late-game dramatics kicked in. The US and Canada swapped two goals each in the last three minutes of the game. In the end, Canada managed to hang on and win 5-3. Finishing first in the group, Canada would take on Denmark in the quarter finals. Canada had little trouble getting by Denmark, as they won by a score of 8-0. In the semi-finals, Canada faced Slovakia. Canada didn't look as dominate as they did the first time against Slovakia, only managing one goal in the first period. It wasn't until late in the second when Canada extend their lead. They scored twice in a minute-and-half, but gave up a goal to finish the period up 3-1. Canada would score two more times in the third (including Nic Petan completing his hat trick) to win the game 5-1. The win pitted Canada against Russia for the gold medal. Things looked good for Canada early on, as goals by Anthony Duclair and Nick Paul were enough for the Russians to change goalies. Canada did surrender a goal later in the period. The Canadians would extend there lead in the second, scoring three unanswered goals. Leading 5-1, things looked to but in Canada's control. That ended up not being the case, as Russia score three of their own late in the period. Canada felt the pressure in the third, getting outshot 11-4. However, they stood tall, and hung on to win the game 5-4. The win gave Canada their 16th gold medal at the U20 level.
Russia: Russia had an up-and-down group stage. Kicking things off against Denmark, penalty trouble would haunt Russia in the first. The Danes scored twice while the Russians were a man short. It wasn't until late in the second when Nikolai Goldobin scored on the powerplay to put the Russians on the board. Maxim Mamin scored in the third period to tie the game. A shootout was needed to decide the game. Sergei Tolchinsky and Goldobin scored to give Russia the 3-2 win. Russia would have a better time against Switzerland. Despite getting outshot 32-23, Russia would blow out the Swiss by a score of 7-0. Facing Sweden, Russia would finish the first period down 1-0. Vyacheslav Leshenko scored in the second and early in the third to make the game 2-1 Russia. The lead didn't last long, as Russia surrendered another powerplay goal minutes later. Russia gave up one more, and could not recover from there. Russia lost the game 3-2. Russia's last group stage game was against Czech Republic. Russia gave up a goal in the first and second periods before the responded. Ivan Barbashev scored on the powerplay late in the second (minutes after failing to convert on a penalty shot). Russia gave up two more in the third, as they lost the game 4-1. Ending group play in third place, Russia would take on the US in the quarter finals. Barbashev would score on a 2-man advantage early in the game to give Russia the lead. Alexander Sharov score later in the period to extend the lead. Russia would give up a 2-man advantage goal in the second. Tolchinski scored early in the third to put the Russian back up by two. The US only scored once more, as Russia won the game 3-2. With the win, Russia would face Sweden in the semi-finals. Things were much better for the Russians this time around. 2-goal periods in the second and third help the Russians to a 4-1 win. Russia went on to face Canada in the gold medal game. The game turned ugly for Russia early on, as two goals by Canada in the first three minutes of the game forced the Russians to switch goalies. Dmitri Yudin scored midway through the first to pull Russia to within one. The second period initially wasn't much kinder to Russia, as Canada scored three unanswered. Russia responded soon after that third goal. Scoring three goal (two of which were on the powerplay), in a four minute span would once again pull Russia to within a goal. Russia pressured in the third, but could not find the tying goal. Losing 5-4, Russia would finish the tournament as silver medalist.
Slovakia: This tournament did not start off well for the Slovaks, as they lost their opening game against Canada 8-0. It was better against Finland, as Slovakia would score two minutes after giving up the opening goal to the Finns. Matus Holenda scored in the second to put the Slovaks in the lead. Denis Godla was solid along the way, stopping 37 of 38 shots in the 2-1 Slovakia win. Slovakia's game against the US was more like their first game. While Godla's 42 save performance help keep the score low, Slovakia could not give him goal support. Slovakia was once again shut out, this time by a score of 3-0. Slovakia's last group game was against Germany. The Slovaks made up for their scoring deficiency last game, scoring three times in the first period. Germany scored before the first period ended. Both teams swapped goals early in the third period. Martin Reway would complete his hat trick with an empty net goal, as Slovakia won the game 5-2. Slovakia finished third in the group, which set up a quarter final matchup against rival Czech Republic. Michal Kabac scored late in the first to put the Slovaks up 1-0. Slovakia added two more in the third, and Godla stopped 34 shots as Slovakia shut out the Czechs 3-0. Slovakia would have a re-match against Canada in the semi-finals. The Slovaks managed to keep the game close in the first. They finished the period down 1-0 but even in shots (6-6). The rest of the game wasn't as close, as they let up two goals in the second and third. David Soltes scored with seconds left in the second period to break the shutout. In the end, Slovakia lost 5-1. The loss set up Slovakia to face Sweden in the bronze medal game. Slovakia scored twice early on to take a 2-0 lead. That evaporated later on in the first, as both teams ended the first tied 2-2. The game stayed that way until early in the third, when Pavol Skalicky scored on the powerplay. Slovakia would add an empty net goal to end the game. With a 4-2 win, Slovakia would win the bronze medal for the second time in their history.
Sweden: The Swedes started their tournament against the Czech Republic. Sweden struck first, thanks to a powerplay goal by Adrian Kempe. They added one more before the first period ended. Their 2-goal lead would evaporate in the second, but only for a few seconds, as William Nylander scored 27 seconds later to put Sweden back in the lead. Sweden added two more goals in the third to take the game 5-2. Against Denmark, Sweden would explode for three goals in the first period. Sweden scored two more in the second, but gave up a goal in between. Sweden continued to take over the game from there. In the end, the score stayed the same after the second. the Swedes won the game 5-1. Sweden would find themselves in a close game against Russia. The Swedes did score first, as Gustav Forsling scored on the powerplay midway though the opening frame. Sweden did give up the tying goal in the second and fell behind early in the third. The Swedes didn't stay down for long though, as Forsling again scored on the powerplay to tie the game. Axel Holmstrom gave Sweden the lead midway though the third. Sweden hung on from there, winning the game 3-2. Sweden got a bit of a scare against Switzerland, as the Swiss scored the first goal early in the game. The Swedes responded soon after, and ended the first period tied 1-1. Sweden exploded in the second, scoring four times (three of them on the powerplay). Sweden would win the game 5-1. Sweden finished first in the group, going undefeated. In the quarter finals, they would faced rival Finland. Both teams remained scoreless until the second, when things got crazy. Finland did open the scoring early in the second, but Sweden responded with three unanswered goals in a four minute span. Finland would score two more times before the period ended to tie the game. Starting the third period on a 2-man advantage, Sweden would score to pull ahead. It stayed that way for the rest of the game, as Sweden added two more goals to make the final score 6-3. Sweden had a rematch against Russia in the semi-finals. Sweden didn't have the same success this time around. They kept the first period scoreless, but gave up two in the second. They would go down 3-0 early in the third before finally finding the back of the net. Sweden gave up one more goal, and in the end they lost the game 4-1. The lost bump them to the bronze medal game, where they would face Slovakia. The Swedes fell behind 2-0 early in the first, but managed to tie it up later in the period. Sweden would lose Julius Bergman at the end of the second, as he was ejected on an interference call. It proved to be costly, as Slovakia scored on the ensuing powerplay. Try as Sweden might, they could not find a way to tie the game up. They ended up surrendering an empty net goal to close the game. Sweden lost the bronze medal game 4-2, and finish the tournament in fourth place.
United States: US opened up their tournament against Finland. They would surrender a goal about a minute-and-a-half into the first period. They would get it back later in the period, as Alex Tuch scored on a powerplay. The game would remain scoreless, and would need a shootout to decide it. Goals by Jack Eichel and Chase de Leo were enough to give the Americans the 2-1 shootout win. Against Germany, the US did not show mercy. Two goals every period helped the US shutout the Germans 6-0. It took longer for the US to score against Slovakia, but the result was about the same. The Americans scored once in the second and twice in the third en route to beating the Slovaks 3-0. In the final group game, the US faced off against rival Canada. Both teams ended the first period tied 0-0. The second period saw the Americans give up two goals before they scored. With the US down by two late in the third, the action picked up. Dylan Larkin scored with two-and-a-half minutes left in the period to get the Americans to within one. Canada scored an empty net to bring their lead back to two. Larkin scored again, but that was it. Another empty net goal by Canada finished the scoring in the game, as the US lost 5-3. With a second place finish in the group, the Americans would take on the Russians in the quarter finals. The game didn't go the Americans way in the first, as the Russians scored twice. Anthony Deangelo scored on a 2-man advantage in the second to pull the US to within one. A penalty early in the third was costly for the US, as Russia capitalized on that. The US did score once more, but could not find the tying goal. With the 3-2 loss, the US finished the tournament in fifth place.
Czech Republic: The Czech Republic struggled in the group stage. Starting off against Sweden, they would fall behind 2-0 after the first. Jakub Vrana scored twice in the second, but the it did not last long as Sweden retaliated seconds later. The Czechs could not find another tying goal, as they gave up two more in the third to lose the game 5-2. Against Switzerland, it looked bad for the Czechs, as they gave up a goal 46 seconds into the game. The Czechs did answer back a minute later, and managed to take the lead three minutes after that. A penalty later in the period would end their lead, as the Czechs gave up a powerplay goal. The second period sunk the Czech Republic, as the Swiss scored three times. The Czech Republic could not recover from that, ultimately losing the game 5-2. The Czechs looked to get something going against Denmark. While they dominated the Danes for most of the game, they still needed a late goal in the third to tie the game 3-3. In overtime, David Pastrnak scored to give the Czechs their first win of the tournament. Needing a regulation win against the Russians to qualify for the playoffs, the Czechs would come out firing. They finished the first up 1-0. Both teams would exchange goals in the second. The Czech Republic added two more goals in the third, winning the game 4-1 and qualifying for the playoff. From last to finishing second in the group, the Czech Republic would face Slovakia in the quarter finals. While they went shot-for-shot with their rival, the Czechs could not find the back of the net. They fell to their neighbour 3-0. With the quarter final finish, the Czechs end up in sixth place.
Finland: Opening Group B play against the US, it didn't take long for the Finns to strike. Mikko Rantanen scored over a minute into the game, giving Finland a 1-0 lead. US would get the goal back on a powerplay. Both teams had chances, but no goals were scored the rest of the way. Finland would lose in the shootout. Just like their game against the US, Finland would strike first against Slovakia before giving up a powerplay goal. Once again, Finland could not find the back of the net for the rest of the game, but unlike last time, their opponent didn't stay scoreless as well. A goal by Slovakia in the second put Finland behind the 8-ball. Finland ended up losing another game 2-1. Against Canada, Finland would fall behind. Canada would score early in the first and second periods before Finland scored one of their own. Finland gave up two more goals in the third, and eventually lost the game 4-1. Needing a win to avoid the relegation round, Finland faced off against Germany. Finland dominated the first two periods, scoring once in each period. Finland held on in the third, and won the game 2-0. By finishing fourth in the group, Finland ended up facing rival Sweden in the quarter finals. The game went from uneventful in the first to crazy in the second, as both teams combine for six goals (three each) in the period. The third period spelled the end for Finland, as a 3-goal period by the Swedes ended their tournament. With the 6-3 quarter final loss, Finland finishes the tournament in seventh place.
Denmark: The newly-promoted Danes looked to make a bit of noise in this tournament. Denmark looked good in the early going against Russia, scoring twice on the powerplay to give them a 2-0 lead after the first. The lead would slowly evaporate, as goals by Russia in the second the third periods would tie the game. With nothing solved in overtime, a shootout was needed. Denmark failed to score on both their shots, resulting in a 3-2 loss. Against Sweden, Denmark would get knocked down a peg. Denmark gave up three goals in the first period. The second wasn't much kinder, as Sweden scored seconds into the period. Denmark did find the back of the net a minute later, but that ended up being the only time. Another Swedish goal was added later, as Denmark lost their second game 5-1. Denmark was in tough against the Czech Republic. Even though the Danes were heavily outshot 46-14 through three periods, they managed to keep the score even. With both teams swapping goals every period, this game needed overtime. In the end it was the Czechs who would score for a fourth time, as the Danes lost 4-3. Needing some kind of win against Switzerland to qualify for the playoffs, it looked like Denmark would not get it early on. The Swiss scored twice in the first before Denmark answered back late in the period. Denmark's powerplay was helpful in the second, scoring twice to tie the game up (twice). This game would go all the way to overtime, where flashy goals by Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand were enough to give Denmark the win. With fourth place in the group solidified, Denmark would face Canada in the quarter finals. Denmark was not given much of a chance, getting thumped 8-0. With a quarter final finish, Denmark ends the tournament in eighth place.
Switzerland: The Swiss started off their tournament facing the Czech Republic. There was some early action, as both teams swapped gaols just two minutes into the game. They would swap goals later in the period, and end the first tied 2-2. Switzerland would take over the game from there, as a 3-goal second period put the game out of reach. The Swiss won their first game 5-2. Against Russia, Switzerland could not keep the puck out of their net. Even though they outshot the Russians 32-23, Switzerland would be shut out 7-0. Looking to rebound against Denmark, it looked like Switzerland would do just that. The scored twice in a span of a minute, and ended the first period up 2-1. Penalty trouble in the second would cost the Swiss the lead (twice). In about four minutes, the Swiss would give up a powerplay goal, score an even straight goal to re-take the lead, and give up another powerplay goal. With the game tied 3-3 and nothing solved during the third period and overtime this game needed a shootout. Switzerland give up two goals while only scoring one. They lost the game 4-3 in the shootout. Needing just one point to advance to the playoffs Switzerland would have to earn it against Sweden. It looked good early on for the Swiss, as they swapped goals with Sweden early in the first. The second period was their downfall though, as a 4-goal period by Sweden essentially ended any chance Switzerland had at keeping their playoff hopes alive. Switzerland lost their final group stage game 5-1. Having been leapfrogged on the last day of group games, Switzerland ended up last in the group and forced to play in the relegation round. Against relegation opponent Germany, the Swiss would take both games played by a score of 5-2. With the wins in the relegation round, Switzerland ends the tournament in ninth place, and will be playing in the main tournament next year.
Germany: Poor, poor Germany. They would have to endure this tournament without star player Leon Draisaitl. Starting off against Canada didn't help either, as they fell behind 2-0 after the first. The Germans would surprise in the second, outshooting the Canadians 10-6, but failed to find the back of the net. Germany allowed two more goals in the third, losing their opening game 4-0. It got worst for the Germans. Taking on the US, Germany would give up more goals (and shots) while once again failing to score. Germany was scored on twice in each period, losing the game 6-0. Things would slightly turn around for Germany. Facing Slovakia, the Germans would give up three goals in the first, but managed to score before the period ended thanks to Frederik Tiffels. Germany gave up a goal early in the third to fall behind by three. Tiffels answered back soon after on a penalty shot. Germany failed to get any closer. They would give up an empty net goal, making the final a 5-2 loss. Germany needed a win against Finland to avoid the relegation round. It did not look good early on, as the Germans were scored on under three minutes into the game. The game stayed that way until the second, when Germany was scored on once again. Despite outshooting Finland in the third, Germany failed to score. Germany lost the game 2-0, making it the third time they were shut out in the group stage. Facing Switzerland in a best-of-3 relegation round, Germany wished there were more games. Despite hanging with the Swiss in the shot category in two games, Germany would lose both games they played 5-2. With the series loss, Germany finishes the tournament in tenth place. Germany goes winless (and pointless) in the tournament, and is relegated to Division I for next year.
Final Ranking
1 (Gold) - Canada
2 (Silver) - Russia
3 (Bronze) - Slovakia
4 - Sweden
5 - United States
6 - Czech Republic
7 - Finland
8 - Denmark
9 - Switzerland
10 (Relegated) - Germany
