Welcome to the 2021 World Junior Championship predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey will take a look at each game and give our predictions of the results. Saturday, December 27th is Day Three of the tournament and ends out with Czech Republic vs Russia.
2021 World Junior Championship Predictions
Czech Republic vs Russia
The Czech Republic played in one of the most important games of their tournament on Saturday… and it ended in a 7-1 loss to Team Sweden. It was a tough blow where they actually looked better at some points. And yet, they’re now left to trudge along the rest of the Group Stage. This slow march starts Sunday with what’ll likely be their toughest task: facing Russia. Russia has dominated their appearances so far, with a win over Team USA and a incredibly close 1-0 loss to Team Canada. They’re the team to beat right now and are the easy favorites against the Czech Republic.
Team Czech Republic
The Czech Republic lineup managed to go toe-to-toe with Sweden, even if the scoresheet doesn’t really reflect that. In their pre-season exhibition game, their offence didn’t seem nearly as strong but their defence — well, more specifically 2021 Draft-eligible Stanislav Svozil — carried the load in terms of offensive energy. This allowed them to easily coast by Team Slovakia but it left a lot to be desired. With an offence featuring Jan Mysak, Adam Raska, Michal Teply, and Pavel Novak… well, a noticeable effort would have been appreciated.
That’s exactly what they got against Sweden. Jan Mysak won Czech Player of the Game with a lone goal but it was Michal Teply who stole the crown in the eyes of many. He sparked so much offence and was all around the ice. With the highly-skilled Mysak on the same line, the threat Czech’s top line posed was impressive. But with Raska suspended and Novak not shocking anyone, the Czech offence lacked the depth it needed to get past a lightning-fast Sweden. This was even despite a great step-up from Jaromir Pytlik; a name that many likely didn’t recognize before Saturday.
So while the Czech offence showed they have what it takes to compete, they were missing the added layer needed to compete against the 2021 World Junior Championship “Power Five”. Noticeable weaknesses elsewhere similarly held Team Czech Republic back. Starter Nick Malik played very poorly once the game hit its peak; a sign of bad things to come as the team faces tougher competition. And aside from Svozil, who again showed off, the Czech defence didn’t do much to slow down Sweden’s chances.
The Czech Republic is on an upward trajectory. They improved from their exhibition game and showed they have a strong offence. But they need to continue improving if they want to hold on to any hope in the 2021 World Junior Championship. Issues on the blue-line and in net could really hold this team back and need addressed immediately.
Team Russia
But there’s a good chance any improvements would be entirely negated by Czech’s next opponent. Team Russia has looked incredible so far. They struggled to get their offence in place during their exhibition game against Canada but their defence and top-tier goaltending was enough to keep things extremely close. Against Team USA, the Russian offence came to life.
That’s really the story of Team Russia. Their defence is absolutely incredible in their own end but spark next-to-nothing in terms of offence. This leaves the forward group completely alone in sparking things. But when they figure things out, they’re a seriously good team. Strong enough to beat Team USA by a confident 5-3.
Seven different Russian forwards recorded a point in the USA matchup. This is proof enough that Russia’s offensive depth is out-of-this-world. It’s been led by Vasili Ponomaryov, who netted two goals in the game. But with the sheer talent of Russia’s other forwards, his time leading the team’s scoring could be short-lived. Ultimately, the Russia offence has proven that their churning. If they can keep their fire lit on Sunday, they’ll make the meeting with the Czech Republic an no-doubt win.
Prediction
There’s not much to think about. This is pretty unfortunate, given the potential of the Czech lineup, but Russia is far too strong to put any doubt in. The Czech lineup that’s been muddled in their own end and questionable on offence is facing a team with top-end defence and a red-hot offence. It’s a juxtaposition that should make for a hard-fought but no-doubt Russian win.
Prediciton: Russia wins 6-2.
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