Welcome to Last Word On Hockey‘s editions of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship predictions. Throughout the tournament, our team will break down key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make a prediction on how the game will play out. You can also check out our NHL editions. For this edition, we’ll take a look at Canada taking on Denmark on Day 4 of the group round.
World Junior Championship Predictions: December 29th – Canada vs Denmark
Time: 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN
Location: 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Team Canada almost had a repeat of last year’s group round game against Latvia on their hands when they faced off again on Saturday night. One year ago, Team Canada was stunned by Latvia in a shootout in the group stage. But this year, when it looked like deja vu for the Canadians, Michael Hage was able to find the back of the net in overtime to lift the Canadians to a thrilling 2-1 win.
The Danes are coming off a tough 7-2 loss against the Czechs and now sit at 0-2 and last place in Group B. When these two teams met in pre-tournament action, Canada dominated from the opening whistle and finished with an impressive 13-2 victory. If the Danes want a better outcome this time around, they’ll need a solid defensive effort and a stellar performance in net.
Canada’s Top Dogs
This is the game for the cream to rise to the top for Canada. It has been tough sledding offensively for their superstars like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and Michael Misa. Martone and Misa each have one point, and McKenna sits at four assists but no goals so far this tournament. If there’s any game for them to get their confidence back after an overtime scare against Latvia, it’s this one.
Their top-six forwards need to get the puck on net more consistently and not be afraid to drive offense. Team Canada’s defense is sure to continue to push the pace of play offensively, with players like Zayne Parekh and Ethan Mackenzie sitting at three points each through 2 games. But at some point in the tournament, one or more of these top-end offensive players will need to step up and make a statement if Canada wants to continue to be looked at as the favorites in this year’s tournament.
Denmark’s Defence
The Danes hung in their last game against the Czechs for a period and a half before Team Czechia pulled away to a 7-2 win. Tristian Peterson and Oliver Larsen each scored for the Danes in that loss, and they’ll need more of their players to step up offensively if they want to stay in games late. The Danes will need a big night from their top defenders like Jesper Bank Olesen, Markus Jakobsen, and Emil Jakobsen, if they want to withstand Canada’s offensive pressure and create offense from the blueline. Keeping pucks out of their own net will be the biggest challenge of the night with all of Canada’s firepower, so Danish Goaltender Anton Emil Wilde Larsen will need a primetime performance to keep the Danes alive in this one.
The Final Prediction
This should be an offensive showcase for the Canadians if they stick to their game plan. As long as they play within their systems and play solid 200-foot hockey, they should be able to dominate the Danes as they did in their pre-tournament matchup. Look for Canada’s superstars to take control offensively and put up some points in this game. Canada’s defence should be able to hold off the Danes, as they’ve only put up four goals in their first two games of the tournament.
Prediction: Canada 10 – 1 Denmark
Main Photo Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
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