"We're now at the halfway stage of the group stage of the 2026 World Juniors, with all ten teams having played two of their four group games. As of this halfway point, it's the United States leading the way in Group A, with Sweden, Slovakia, and Switzerland taking up the remaining three knockout-round places. In Group B, it's Finland with a one-point lead on Canada, with Czechia and Latvia rounding out the top four."
"Of the gold medal contenders, I think Sweden needs to be on high alert. Blowing a 2-0 lead against Slovakia to open the tournament? Okay, I kind of get that; Slovakia has had a history of putting up challenges against medal contenders. But the Swedes' game against Switzerland wasn't a masterclass in any sense of the word either. While they did score three times in the third period, the Swedes did trail 2-1 after two."
The tournament reaches the midpoint with all ten teams having played two of four group games. The United States leads Group A, followed by Sweden, Slovakia, and Switzerland occupying the other three knockout positions. Finland leads Group B by one point over Canada, with Czechia and Latvia completing the top four. Monday features four games: Sweden vs Germany at noon CST at Grand Casino Arena, Czechia vs Finland at 2:30 PM CST, United States vs Slovakia at 5:00 PM CST, and Canada vs Denmark at 7:30 PM CST. Sweden showed inconsistent starts and needs greater control, while Germany has improved and could pressure Sweden if it scores early.
Read at Puck Prose
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