"A combination of recent preliminary round results, key tiebreaker scenarios, and the remaining schedule is creating a very real possibility of an early Olympic showdown between hockey powers, one that could see Toronto Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander face off sooner than expected. Matthews' Team USA's closer-than-expected 6-3 victory over Denmark in Group C Olympic action on Saturday, combined with Team Sweden and Nylander's position in the Group B bracket, is setting up a potential intriguing game between Leafs' teammates."
"Upon the conclusion of preliminary round games on Sunday, all twelve teams in the Olympic tournament will be ranked one through twelve. The top four teams get a bye to the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight teams have to face each other to qualify among the final eight teams. Canada and the Americans are currently the only two teams that are undefeated and are tracking to be the top two seeds. Both are heavy favorites in their final games."
"Canada has scored ten goals while giving up just one through two games, a plus-nine in goal differential. The US has scored eleven goals and given up four to sit at plus-seven. Why is this important? Group B, where Nylander and Team Sweden reside, saw three teams finish round-robin play with a 2-1 record. The tiebreaker for seeding purposes between Sweden, Finland, and Slovakia is the goal differential in the combined games among those three teams. Sweden's minus-one is the worst of the trio."
Preliminary round outcomes, tiebreaker rules, and remaining matchups create a realistic chance that Auston Matthews' USA could meet William Nylander's Sweden earlier than expected. The tournament will rank all twelve teams after the preliminaries, with the top four receiving quarterfinal byes and the other eight playing crossover qualification games. Canada and the United States sit undefeated and project as the top two seeds, aided by strong goal differentials. Group B produced a three-way 2-1 tie where goal differential among tied teams places Sweden at a disadvantage with a minus-one.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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