Athletistic/Hockey. The Ice Hockey World Championship continues. The playoffs started this week. In Tampere (Finland) and Riga (Latvia), quarter-finals were held. They brought many surprises. In the first game, the American team confidently defeated the Czech Republic with the score of 3: 0 and advanced to the semifinals. The German national team managed to eliminate the leader of group B, the Swiss national team, from the draw. The Germans won with a score of 3:1. The most sensational result was in a duel between the national teams of Sweden and Latvia. The Latvians won with a score of 3:1 and reached the semi-finals of the world championship for the first time in history. In another match, Canada beat Finland – 4:1.
Thus, the two pairs of semi-finals were determined. The 1/2 final matches will take place on Saturday, May 27. The match for third place and the final are scheduled for Sunday, May 28. All matches will take place in Tampere, Finland. We bring to your attention the schedule of matches for the semi-finals and their predictions.
Canada – Latvia
May 27, 2:20 p.m. Moscow time
Canada finished second in Group B. In the group stage, the Maple Leaves lost to Switzerland 2-3 and were also beaten by Norway 2-3 in a shootout. All other games were won by the Canadians. In particular, a victory was won over Latvia with the score 6:0. In the quarterfinals, Canada confidently defeated Finland – 4:1. Latvia left Group B in third place. Harijs Vitolinsh’s wards lost to Canada (0:6) and Slovakia (1:2). The other matches were won. In particular, victories over Switzerland and the Czech Republic came in extra time. In the quarterfinals, the Baltic team won a victory over Sweden – 3:1. The bookmakers consider Canada to be the favorites for the next semi-finals. They put a 74% chance of the Maple Leaves winning.
United States – Germany
May 27, 6:20 p.m. Moscow time
These teams also managed to meet in the group stage. Then the United States won with a score of 3:0. The Americans took first place in Group A, winning every game. Only the victory over Sweden was achieved in extra time. Of all the other matches, the American team took three points each. In the quarterfinals, the Americans beat the Czech Republic dry – 3:0. Germany also became fourth in Group A. The Germans lost to the United States, Finland and Sweden, but managed to beat Denmark, France, Austria and Hungary. Germany beat Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals. The bookmakers of the next semi-final pin their hopes on the United States. Americans have a 65% chance of winning.
If we talk about the winner of the World Cup, the bookmakers believe that the Canadian team will regain the title after 2021. The probability of such a scenario is 48%. The chance of the United States becoming world champions for the first time since 1960 is estimated at 41%. 10% is attributed to the fact that the new winner will be the German team. Only in 1% such a chance in modular Latvia is estimated.
Yaroslav Pyatikh, Athletistic
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I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
