Tuesday, May 31, 2016

2016 IIHF World Championship Review - Group Stage

Not what I had in mind, but being busy doesn't help that I didn't get around to recapping the World Championships until now. For now, here's a quick review of the group stage.

Note: Most information from the fancy IIHF website.

Group A

Standings

Team
Wins
OTW/SOW
OTL/SOL
Losses
Points
Goal Diff.
Czech Republic
5
1
1
0
18
+15
Russia
6
0
0
1
18
+22
Sweden
3
2
0
2
13
+5
Denmark
2
2
1
2
11
-5
Norway
2
1
0
4
8
-9
Switzerland
1
1
3
2
8
-6
Latvia
1
0
3
3
6
-9
Kazakhstan
0
1
0
6
2
-13

Results

May 6
Sweden 2 - Latvia 1 (OT)
Czech Republic 3 - Russia 0

May 7
Switzerland 2 - Kazakhstan 3 (SO)
Norway 0 - Denmark 3
Latvia 3 - Czech Republic 4 (SO)

May 8
Kazakhstan 4 - Russia 6
Norway 4 - Switzerland 3 (OT)
Sweden 5 - Denmark 2

May 9
Latvia 0 - Russia 4
Sweden 2 - Czech Republic 4

May 10
Switzerland 3 - Denmark 2 (OT)
Kazakhstan 2 - Norway 4

May 11
Switzerland 5 - Latvia 4
Sweden 7 - Kazakhstan 3

May 12
Czech Republic 7 - Norway 0
Russia 10 - Denmark 1

May 13
Czech Republic 3 - Kazakhstan 1
Denmark 3 - Latvia 2 (SO)

May 14
Norway 2 - Sweden 3
Russia 5 - Switzerland 1
Kazakhstan 1 - Latvia 2

May 15
Denmark 2 - Czech Republic 1 (SO)
Switzerland 2 - Sweden 3 (SO)

May 16
Russia 3 - Norway 0
Denmark 4 - Kazakhstan 1

May 17
Czech Republic 5 - Switzerland 4
Latvia 1 - Norway 3
Russia 4 - Sweden 1

(Quick) Recap

The Czech Republic and Russia were the top teams in this group, as they battled it out for first place. Both teams would finish with 18 points. Even though Russia had more regulation wins, the Czech Republic held the tiebreaker, beating Russia in their first game of the tournament. Czech Republic finished at the top of the group, with the host Russians in second place. Sweden was shaky by their standards, but managed to finish comfortably in third. Denmark, backed by a great goaltending performance, did what they could and battled their way though the group, en route to finishing in fourth place and earning a playoff spot. Norway had a decent tournament, and kept it close against neighbouring Sweden, but could not do enough and ended up in fifth place. Switzerland did not perform well, losing in extra time in their first two games. They only managed two wins (one in regulation, one in overtime), which was good enough for a sixth place finish. Latvia looked to have a good start, keeping games against Sweden and the Czech Republic close (they picked up a point in both games). Latvia's win over Kazakhstan solidified their spot for next year's tournament, as they finished comfortably in seventh. Kazakhstan had a good start, beating Switzerland in overtime to earn two points. That was all for the Kazakhs though, as they lost their next five of six by at least two goals (only one game was a one-goal loss). Their lone win was not enough, and Kazakhstan finished in eight. This result relegates Kazakhstan to Division I for next year.

Group B

Standings

Team
Wins
OTW/SOW
OTL/SOL
Losses
Points
Goal Diff.
Finland
7
0
0
0
21
+23
Canada
6
0
0
1
18
+26
Germany
4
0
1
2
13
+2
United States
3
0
1
3
10
+4
Slovakia
2
1
0
4
8
-8
Belarus
2
0
0
5
6
-16
France
1
1
0
5
5
-12
Hungary
1
0
0
6
3
-19

Results

May 6
United States 1 - Canada 5
Finland 6 - Belarus 2

May 7
Slovakia 4 - Hungary 1
France 3 - Germany 2 (SO)
Belarus 3 - United States 6

May 8
Hungary 1 - Canada 7
Finland 5 - Germany 1
France 1 - Slovakia 5

May 9
Belarus 0 - Canada 8
Finland 3 - United States 2

May 10
Slovakia 1 - Germany 5
Hungary 2 - France 6

May 11
Slovakia 2 - Belarus 4
Finland 3 - Hungary 0

May 12
United States 4 - France 0
Canada 5 - Germany 2

May 13
United States 5 - Hungary 1
Germany 5 - Belarus 2

May 14
France 1 - Finland 3
Hungary 5 - Belarus 2
Canada 5 - Slovakia 0

May 15
Germany 3 - United States 2
Slovakia 0 - Finland 5

May 16
Canada 4 - France 0
Germany 4 - Hungary 2

May 17
United States 2 - Slovakia 3 (OT)
Belarus 3 - France 0
Canada 0 - Finland 4

(Quick) Recap

It was all Canada and Finland at the top, with both teams heading into their head-to-head having rolled through their opponents (for the most part). Their meeting would be anti-climatic though, as Finland shut out Canada 4-0 to win the group. The loss against Finland placed Canada second in the group. Germany had a surprising group stage. A rough start to the tournament was quickly forgotten, as the Germans went on to win four of their last five games to take third place. The United States had a less than ideal tournament, and were only able to beat the lower-tier teams of the group. Thanks to hanging on and forcing overtime in their game against Slovakia, the Americans clung to fourth place, earning the last playoff spot in the group. Slovakia, just like the United States, didn't have a good tournament to their standards. They needed to win in regulation against the United States, and could not do so. The overtime win was no consolation, as the Slovaks finished fifth in the group, ending their tournament. Belarus had a lot of lows, but the few highs they had were enough to keep them alive at this level. An upset over Slovakia helped Belarus set up a scenario were avoiding relegation was in their hands. They would do just that, as a last-day shutout of France propelled Belarus from eight to sixth in the group, clear of relegation. France had no fear of relegation, being that they are a co-host of next year's tournament. A regulation and an overtime winner were the highlights of their tournament, as France finished seventh in the group. It was an emotional tournament for Hungary. Returning after seven year, they managed to get their first ever win at the top level. Their win (against Belarus) looked to be enough to do the unthinkable and survive a year in the main tournament. The fairy tale would have a sad ending though, as Belarus' win against France bumped Hungary to eight place. Having finished last in the group, Hungary is relegated back to Division I for next year.

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