Team USA is in the quarterfinals of the men’s worlds for the 13th straight year and finished with a 5-0-1-1 record in the preliminary round, second in Group B behind Sweden. Czechia, which was 4-1-2-0 in the preliminary round, was third in Group A, which was won by Canada and had Switzerland finish second.
The U.S. has won four straight games in the world championship, including a 6-3 victory over Latvia in its last outing on Tuesday (May 21) in Ostrava, Czechia. Team USA boasts the top three point-getters in the tournament in Matt Boldy (6-8—14), Brady Tkachuk (7-6—13) and Johnny Gaudreau (3-8—11). Roman Cervenka has 10 points, including three goals, to lead Czechia.
In the quarterfinal round, the U.S. and Czechia have met on seven previous occasions, with Team USA holding a 2-2-1-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) advantage. In last year’s world championship, the U.S. blanked Czechia by a 3-0 count behind a 15-save shutout by Casey DeSmith and goals from Matt Coronato, Nick Perbix and Cutter Gauthier in the quarterfinals.
The U.S. is looking to get to the men’s worlds semifinals for the fourth straight year, a feat it has never accomplished.
