Switzerland finished the round-robin phase with a perfect 7-0-0-0 record while Canada posted six regulation wins and one overtime victory to top their groups at the 2026 World Championship.
Morning quarterfinals open bracket
Finland finished second in Group A after six regulation wins and one regulation loss.
Czechia advanced despite dropping its final two preliminary games.
Aleksander Barkov recorded two goals and six assists in seven games to tie for Finland’s scoring lead.
Roman Cervenka scored the game-winning goal in Czechia’s 3-2 win over Slovakia that secured their qualification.
Canada’s captain Macklin Celebrini tallied five goals and 11 points in seven games to lead his team.
The 19-year-old scored twice in the final round-robin game to erase a 2-0 deficit against Czechia.
Afternoon matchups test dark horses
Switzerland hosts Sweden at 2:20 p.m. ET after Timo Meier collected three goals and 11 points in seven games to tie for second in tournament scoring.
Sweden claimed the final Group B qualifying spot with a 4-0-0-3 record.
Ivar Stenberg posted four goals and eight points in seven contests for the Swedes.
Norway surprised many by finishing second in Group B after upsets over Sweden and Czechia.
Tinus Luc Koblar scored five goals and eight points to match production rates of Sidney Crosby and Roman Josi.
Latvia reached third in Group A with a 4-0-0-3 record behind Rudolfs Balcers’ seven goals and 10 points.
Standouts shape semifinal implications
Devin Cooley posted a 1.70 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in five games after replacing Joseph Woll for Team USA.
The Americans secured fourth place in Group A with a 3-1-0-3 record.
Celebrini’s elevated role has already produced clutch performances that position Canada for an immediate rematch against the United States.
Switzerland’s perfect record and Meier’s scoring output make the hosts the clear favorite to advance from the afternoon bracket.
Norway and Latvia remain long-shot contenders capable of upsetting higher seeds if their young leaders continue their preliminary pace.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.