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With the round robin complete, the focus shifts to the medal round of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. After an entertaining preliminary round with plenty of parity and intrigue, the stage is set for a classic medal round.

One wrinkle to note moving forward, there is a reseeding after the quarterfinal. The highest remaining seed based on group placement, points accrued, and goal differential (in that order) will play the lowest remaining seed. The top four teams are Sweden, United States, Czechia and Finland.

Given the lack of a set bracket, it is hard to predict all the way through, but we’ll give it our best shot, including tournament awards.

Finland takes on Slovakia in what should be an entertaining matchup. Both teams showed weakness in the preliminary round, with Finland getting shut out by Canada and beating the United States in overtime. Slovakia needed overtime to beat Kazakhstan, and a late winner against Switzerland after disappointing performances against Sweden and Czechia. Both teams have goaltenders capable of stealing a game, although Slovakia’s Samuel Urban has underperformed in the tournament.

The Finns are yet to have a standout offensive performance, and lack a real gamebreaker up front. They rank ninth on the power play, besting only Kazakhstan, and are shooting 6.37%. Their bright spot is their perfect penalty kill, something they will need to continue if they are to win low scoring games in the medal round. The Finns need more from Jesse Nurmi, Emil Hemming, Kosta Helenius and Kasper Halttunen on offense.

Slovakia’s medal hopes rest largely on the shoulders of Dalibor Dvorsky and Maxim Strbak, both playing in their fourth World Junior tournament. Dvorsky started slowly and was not as dominant as many expected him to be, but factored in four of five goals against Kazakhstan to secure the win. Strbak will be critical to keeping the best Finnish players off the scoresheet, while also contributing offensively. Dvorsky is a true gamebreaker for Slovakia, capable of scoring a key goal, creating scoring chances and putting the team on his back.

If Urban can play up to his potential and keep the Finns out, Slovakia has the advantage because of Dvorsky’s game-breaking ability. But for now, advantage Finland.


The American matchup against the Swiss should be a simple case of the the United States having far too much for Switzerland to handle in every aspect. The Americans are simply stronger in every area.

In goal, Trey Augustine will lead the way and has rounded into form. Cole Hutson and Zeev Buium are offensive dynamos on the back end who will eat minutes and drive offense. The first forward line of Gabriel Perreault, James Hagens and Ryan Leonard will likely be far too much for the Swiss to handle.

Further down the lineup, the Americans have players who check well, wear opponents down and hold the puck. Barring an outstanding performance in the Swiss goal and a calamitous offensive performance, the Americans should cruise through to the semifinal.


Sweden and Latvia should be similar to USA-Switzerland; however, the Latvians have proven they cannot be taken lightly.

Linards Feldbergs has been the tournament MVP thus far, carrying the Latvians to wins against Canada and Germany, earning a quarterfinal berth. The Swedes looked strong in the preliminary round led by Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Otto Stenberg and Anton Wahlberg.

The Latvians will work hard and create chances off the rush, but the Swedish depth should be too much for the Latvians to overcome. If Feldbergs has another rabbit in his mask, the Latvians have a chance — without that, expect Sweden to cruise to the semifinal.


In what will likely be the best matchup of the quarterfinals, Czechia and Canada will meet in the quarters for the second straight year. Canada looks to avenge last year’s disappointing loss in Sweden, and given Czechia’s offensive firepower, Canada has a big hill to climb.

The Czechs are getting solid production from Eduard Sale and Vojtech Hradec up front, and stable goaltending from Michael Hrabal. The Czechs have a tournament-leading 25 goals, rank top four on both special teams, and lead the tournament with a 19.7% shooting percentage; that shooting percentage will not continue in the medal round, as the bulk of the offensive production came in a 14-2 win against Kazakhstan. In their remaining three games, the Czechs scored 11 goals on 91 shots, for a 12.1% shooting percentage. That is far more sustainable and gives them an advantage against Canada.

Canada has struggled in every aspect of their game, aside from goaltending. Carter George has been excellent and will need to continue his run of play if Canada is to have a chance. Two things are plaguing Canada: a lack of finish, and undisciplined play. Canada opted to leave scorers at home in favor of penalty killers and checkers, something many pointed out prior to the start of the tournament. Fast forward to now, and Canada is struggling to score, they are the most undisciplined team in the tournament and the penalty killers have been ineffective.

Porter Martone, Carson Rehkopf and Gavin McKenna are not being deployed to maximize their offensive potential, and the rest of Canada’s forwards are not scoring at the expected level. Most of the scoring chances are coming from the outside, as Canada struggles to generate in the middle of the ice. Canada will need to get to the middle of the ice, avoid the penalty box (a tall task) and all that starts with the coaching staff altering the deployment of their offensive players.

As it stands, the Czechs have a distinct advantage, but no one will be surprised if Canada pulls it together and gets revenge for last year’s early exit.

Who wins the tournament?

Heading into the semis, it is fair to expect at least one quarterfinal upset. Slovakia and Canada are most likely to knock off their respective higher-seeded opponents, with Canada getting the advantage because of the goaltending.

Given the re-seeding, let’s say the semifinalists are Sweden, United States, Finland and Canada. That would mean we would get Sweden vs. Canada and United States vs. Finland. If the Czechs and Slovakians were to win, it would produce USA vs. Czechia and Sweden vs. Slovakia. Regardless of outcome, Sweden and the United States would be in excellent position to meet in the gold medal game — a rematch of last year’s championship affair.

This year, the Swedes are a deeper team and have a slight advantage over the United States. In a game that would be very close and could come down to overtime, Sweden’s mobile defense core and ability to create offense up and down their lineup may be the difference maker. Given the number of returnees with professional experience playing significant roles for Sweden (Sandin-Pellikka, Wahlberg, Felix Unger Sorum and Theo Lindstein), they should have an advantage as games get tighter and space is less available.

The Americans have the advantage with gamebreakers. Hagens, Perreault and Cole Eiserman are capable of creating and finishing scoring chances with lethal precision. Regardless of outcome, this game will come down to whether the Swedish depth can keep the American firepower at bay. If they can, the Swedes are well set up to avenge their silver medal in Sweden last year.

Individual awards

As for the tournament awards, it is hard to envision a scenario where Sandin-Pellikka and and U.S. defenseman Cole Hutson aren’t the two best, barring some otherworldly performance in the medal round by another blueliner.

In goal, if Carter George gets Canada anywhere near the gold medal game and keep a save percentage above .950, he will likely be a Directorate Award winner. If he can’t, one of Augustine or Hrabal could win the award with excellent performances in the medal round.

There are many options for tournament MVP, led by Sandin-Pellikka and Dvorsky. If Dvorsky can lead Slovakia to a medal, he will get a long look for top forward and tournament MVP. The foundation for these awards is set in the preliminary round, but the true decisions are made as the medal round progresses. Perreault has been quieter than expected, but if the top line heats up for the Americans, he’s got a shot at this award as well. Never count out a guy who can put the puck in the net the way that Perreault can.

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Oilers win a thriller in Game 1: Grades for both teams, what to watch in Game 2

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Oilers win a thriller in Game 1: Grades for both teams, what to watch in Game 2

Before we go any further, maybe it’s fair to establish some ground rules for how to assess this particular Stanley Cup final.

Specifically, unless the Edmonton Oilers or Florida Panthers gain such a large lead to put the game out of reach, everything could be decided within the final 10 minutes of regulation or whenever the game-winning goal in overtime (or even double overtime) is scored.

OK. Now that we’re all on the same page, here’s a look at how the Oilers took Game 1 with a 4-3 overtime win, and what it all means going forward for both parties ahead of Game 2.

Winning the third period in the manner in which the Oilers did was crucial. Not only because it led to overtime, but because it was arguably their most consistent frame in Game 1.

They had the shots in the first period, but still trailed. They struggled to gain possession and generate shots in the second, which played a role in why they were down by a goal. Getting a goal from Mattias Ekholm early in the third gave the Oilers their 20th different scorer this postseason. They also outshot the Panthers 14-2, while having a 58.3% shot share, providing them with a sense of control they had been lacking to start.

Although they began overtime on the defensive, their constant ability to apply pressure for the final 15 minutes paid off with Leon Draisaitl scoring the game-winner off the power play with 1:06 remaining.

They survived the Kasperi Kapanen mini-breakaway. They survived the point-blank chance from Trent Frederic at the faceoff circle. They survived when the Oilers had a 5-on-5 sequence they treated like a power play. They survived the Evan Bouchard scoring chance in which he slipped behind the defense for another point-blank opportunity that Sergei Bobrovsky stopped.

Even Destiny’s Child, for those familiar, thought the Panthers survived a bit too much.

In the end, they could not survive the Oilers going on a late overtime power play, during which Draisaitl scored the goal that led to the Panthers falling in Game 1.

Every game comes with an inflection point — especially if a team loses. The Panthers had a few. Will it be the second period, which saw them have a 65.2% shot share while breaking through to launch 17 shots on goal — only to come away with one goal largely due to Stuart Skinner‘s solid play in net? Is it the third period that saw them get just two shots on goal? Or will it be how they couldn’t make the most of their dominant start in overtime?


Arda Öcal’s Three Stars of Game 1

Draisaitl didn’t have a single goal in the 2024 Cup Final. He scored 66 seconds into Game 1, then scored the overtime game-winner. A sublime start to this year’s championship series. Draisaitl has scored or assisted on five of the Oilers’ six OT goals over the last two postseasons.

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Leon Draisaitl scores 66 seconds into Game 1 for Oilers

Leon Draisaitl nets the first goal of the Stanley Cup Final just over a minute into the game for the Oilers vs. the Panthers.

The veteran defenseman scored his first goal of this postseason in his second game back from injury. He became the 20th Oiler to score in these playoffs, which is tied for the second most in a single postseason in NHL history (the 1987 Flyers and 2019 Blues both had 21 different goal scorers).

A two-goal effort in a losing cause. Bennett now has 12 goals this postseason, which is the most in a single playoffs in franchise history. Eleven of those goals have been on the road, which is tied with Mark Scheifele (2018) for most road goals in a single postseason in NHL history.


Players to watch in Game 2

Remember: This man was on waivers in November. The Oilers’ claim of him was initially viewed as a chance to add depth on the cheap, only for it to turn into something greater. His game-winning goal in the series-clinching Game 5 overtime victory in the Western Conference finals opened the door for more playing time. He almost did it again in Game 1 in overtime too, but he did get an assist on the game-winning goal.

He’s been part of the solution for how the Oilers would fare without Zach Hyman, who sustained an injury in the Western Conference finals that will keep him out for the rest of the postseason. Kapanen did his part by having three assists, while his five hits allowed the Oilers to maintain the physical edge they’ve used as part of their identity to reach a consecutive Cup Final.

There are two ways to look at what Bennett did in Game 1. The first being that his two-point effort once again reinforced what has made him a serious candidate to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Bennett was already atop the leaderboard prior to the game, as he has scored a postseason-high 10 goals. Collecting two more now gives him 18 points, which is tied with Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for fourth place.

The second is that he’s going to get paid this offseason. Earlier in the day, the Colorado Avalanche re-signed Brock Nelson to a three-year deal worth $7.5 million annually to avoid him hitting the open market. What Bennett did to help the Panthers reach three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals — and be in a position to claim at least a second title — is only going to increase what he could command come July 1.

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Sam Bennett’s 2nd goal gives Florida a 3-1 lead

Sam Bennett tallies his second goal of the game to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead over the Oilers.


Big questions for Game 2

Did the third period and overtime give the Oilers a defensive road map against the Panthers?

The Oilers’ path back to the Stanley Cup Final was based on how their defensive structure made life hellish for the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights, two teams that were in the top five in goals per game in the regular season — and which struggled in the playoffs.

The Oilers had a few challenges in the first period, with Skinner getting partially shielded on the first two goals before having a breakdown in the second period that left their goalie on an island.

From there, the Oilers gave up a combined eight shots over the final frames, with the largest concentration coming in the first five minutes of overtime.

Of course, the Panthers have found breakthroughs against teams with constricting defensive structures, like the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals. Are the Panthers about to find another in Game 2? Or could the Oilers be onto something that could see them find even more success within their defensive identity?

What is the major takeaway going forward: Their start or their finish?

Here’s where it gets complicated — and it goes back to the earlier statement about teams having inflection points. In the second period, the Panthers were aggressive in a way that hardly anyone has been against the Oilers. That resulted in five high-danger scoring chances, along with an overall sense of control.

That’s what made coming away with just one goal — especially in a one-goal game — something that could pose questions about how they make the most of those opportunities going forward.

But at the same time, the notion they were forced to survive in an overtime that saw them split the shot share with the Oilers, have more high-danger scoring chances but fail to provide that consistent threat?

That could also give the Panthers even more to think about in the coming days … or maybe they won’t question the process, given the Panthers had won their last 31 playoff games in which they held a second-period lead.

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Draisaitl’s OT goal caps Oilers’ rally in Game 1 win

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Draisaitl's OT goal caps Oilers' rally in Game 1 win

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers swore things would be different in their Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers. They proved it in Game 1 with an impressive comeback and a 4-3 overtime win.

Last year, the Panthers took a 3-0 series lead that started with a shutout win. The Oilers were in uncharted territory, while Florida was playing in its second straight Final. Having gone through the experience of last season — and the heartbreak of losing in Game 7 — the Oilers were confident and poised before star center Leon Draisaitl‘s power-play goal with 31 seconds left in OT earned them the 1-0 series lead.

“It’s huge. Obviously when you look back at it, if we get one win right away, it’s a completely different story [last season],” said goalie Stuart Skinner, who was solid again with 30 saves Wednesday night. “I think the way that we showed up right from the get-go, and the way that we continued to keep on going even though we were down by two, that shows a lot of character by us.”

The mindset was clear even before the game. Skinner remembered feeling overwhelmed when the Stanley Cup trophy was presented on the ice before the first game last year. This time, when the Cup made its cameo, Skinner said he felt completely different.

“When I saw the Cup on the ice last year, I was kind of looking at it with googly eyes,” he acknowledged. “This year, I saw it already. So now it’s time to get back to work. It felt completely different emotionally.”

The Oilers took a 1-0 lead just 1:06 into the game thanks to a furious forecheck by Draisaitl. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had trouble with a shot from inside the point. Draisaitl was there to shoot home the rebound for an early lead.

The game took a turn just after the midway point of the first when a Carter Verhaeghe shot deflected off of Panthers center Sam Bennett and behind Skinner. Replays showed that Bennett’s leg made contact with that of Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak before he fell into the crease.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch opted to use his coach’s challenge for goalie interference. After a brief review, the officials confirmed it was a good goal at 10:49 of the first and Edmonton was given a delay-of-game penalty.

Brad Marchand scored a power-play goal at 12:30, roofing the puck to Skinner’s left, for the 2-1 lead.

Ironically, the turning point of the Oilers’ postseason involved a failed coach’s challenge. In Game 3 against Los Angeles, trailing the series 2-0, Kings coach Jim Hiller challenged the game-tying goal by Edmonton, which scored the game-winning goal 10 seconds into their ensuing power play.

“I challenged that any day,” Knoblauch said. “I feel what I’ve seen the NHL with goalie interference, I had a lot of confidence in challenge.”

Bennett extended the lead to 3-1 just two minutes into the second period, before Viktor Arvidsson answered 1:17 later.

The score remained that until 13:27 of the third period when Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm blasted a shot past Bobrovsky to knot it up 3-3. It was Ekholm’s first goal of the playoffs, having missed 15 postseason games with an injury. McDavid floated a pass through the crease to set up Ekholm.

In overtime, the Panthers skated out on fire, pressuring Skinner. But one critical mistake led to Draisaitl’s game-winner. With 1:42 left, forward Tomas Nosek put the puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty. Florida entered the game with the best penalty kill in the playoffs (87.9%) until Draisaitl’s goal.

Florida coach Paul Maurice defended his fourth-line center whose mistake ended up costing the Panthers Game 1.

“We’re not here without Tomas Nosek. He gets a tough break. So we’ll just make sure he doesn’t need alone tonight. He’s got lots of people sitting on his table and reminding him how good he’s been to us,” Maurice said.

As for Draisaitl, his game winner continued a dominant postseason. He’s second to McDavid (28) in points (27) in the playoffs. This was his third OT goal of the playoffs, tying an NHL record for most in a single postseason with Mel Hill in 1939, Maurice Richard in 1951, his Oilers teammate Corey Perry in 2017 and Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk in 2023.

Draisaitl is the fourth player ever to score an overtime power-play goal in the Stanley Cup Final since 1934, when goals by type were first officially tracked.

McDavid, who assisted on Draisaitl’s game winner, had nothing but praise for his teammate.

“He’s invaluable. There’s so many good things. You name it, he does it. He doesn’t get enough respect or credit for his defensive abilities,” McDavid said. “There’s not many better. Maybe nobody better.”

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in Edmonton.

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Source: Avs F Nelson signs $22.5M extension

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Source: Avs F Nelson signs .5M extension

Wednesday witnessed the Colorado Avalanche answer their biggest offseason question by re-signing center Brock Nelson to a three-year contract, with a source telling ESPN the deal is worth $7.5 million annually.

Nelson’s future had been in question ever since he arrived in a March 9 trade from the New York Islanders. Although he filled the Avalanche’s second-line center void in the interim, Nelson was a pending unrestricted free agent who was expected to be one of the most coveted players in free agency on July 1.

Instead, the 33-year-old Nelson, who had six goals and 13 points in 19 games, will remain with an Avalanche franchise that will seek to win its second Stanley Cup since 2022.

“We’re thrilled to have reached an agreement with Brock to keep him in Colorado for the next three seasons,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He’s been a great center in this league for a long time, and he brings professionalism and a dedicated work ethic on and off the ice. We think he’s a great fit and is a stabilizing presence to our second-line center role with his size and ability to touch all areas of the ice.”

Getting a new deal done with Nelson is the latest entry in what’s become a near-annual challenge for the Avalanche when it comes to solidifying a second-line center. Nazem Kadri, who was part of their title-winning team, left in free agency to sign with the Calgary Flames. That turned into the Avs going through a revolving door of second-line centers that saw several players attempt to fill that void with the front office making a trade to get All-Star Ryan Johansen prior to the 2023-24 season.

Johansen struggled in Denver, which led to the team trading him ahead of the deadline and acquiring Casey Mittlestadt from the Buffalo Sabres. Mittlestadt scored four goals and 10 points in 18 regular-season games before finishing with nine points in 11 playoff games. He signed a three-year deal last June worth $5.575 million to give the Avs a then-25-year-old second-line center for now and the future.

Mittelstadt would struggle during his first full season in Colorado, which saw him fall further down the depth chart. It prompted the Avs to make a trade for Nelson before eventually moving Mittlestadt in a trade with the Boston Bruins that saw them get Charlie Coyle.

Enter Nelson. A nine-time 20-goal scorer, Nelson was one of the most consistent players the Islanders cultivated with a farm system that has produced several players, including Avs defenseman Devon Toews, who arrived in a 2020 trade and would form one of the league’s strongest defensive tandems with 2020 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar.

Having Nelson also gives the Avalanche what might be one of the strongest top-nine center setups in the NHL, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon on the top line while Coyle operates at third-line center.

PuckPedia projects that the Avalanche will now have $1.2 million left in free agency to address their roster concerns.

Like many of their peers in a championship window, the Avs have most of their core signed to long-term deals. Nelson now one of eight players who have three or more years remaining on their current contracts.

The Avalanche have a six-player UFA class that’s led by forward Jonathan Drouin and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Drouin, who had signed consecutive one-year deals with the Avalanche starting in 2023, scored 11 goals and 37 points in 43 games. A year earlier, he scored 19 goals and finished with a career-high 56 points.

As for Lindgren, he was also a trade deadline addition in a deal the Avs made with the New York Rangers. Lindgren had three points in 18 games while logging 18:59 in ice time per game with the Avs in a top-four role that also provided them with another penalty killer.

It’s possible that the Avalanche could use trades to create more cap flexibility while playing in a Central Division that saw five teams make the postseason with a sixth, the Utah Hockey Club, finished seven points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

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