2022 Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey. We are now on day six of the tournament. There were 4 games in the Men’s tournament. All the games were Qualification Play-off games. Slovakia played Germany. Denmark played Latvia. Czech Republic played Switzerland. Canada played China. The winners would advance to the Quarterfinals. The losers would be eliminated. No one was eliminated in the group stage.
Slovakia vs Germany. Slovakia came in third in Group C. They went 1-2-0 in the group stage. Germany came in third in Group B. They went 1-2-0 in the group stage. Slovakia lead the game 1-0 after the first period. They managed to make it 3-0 in the second period. The final score was 4-0 Slovakia.
Germany (who won silver in 2018) gets shutout by Slovakia. Slovakia has eliminated Germany. Germany took plenty of penalties. Slovakia despite not scoring on the power play managed to still net four goals. Slovakia will move on to the Quarterfinals.
Denmark vs Latvia. Denmark finished group play in second in Group B after going 2-1-0. Latvia finished last in Group C after going 0-3-0. Latvia had to change their goalie 7 minutes into the game. Denmark scored the first goal shortly after. Latvia was able to tie the game by the end of the first period. The game would be at 2-2 after the second period. Denmark would take the lead early in the third period. Despite pulling their goalie Latvia was unable to score in the third period. The final score was 3-2 Denmark.
It was a really close game. Neither team seemed to have an edge until Denmark scored in the third period. Denmark has eliminated Latvia. Both teams had a few penalties but not a lot. Both teams were able to score on the powerplay. Special teams only really gave Denmark the advantage. Denmark will be moving on to the Quarterfinals.
Czech Republic vs Switzerland. The Czech Republic Were third in Group B. They finished the group stage with a record of 2-1-0. Switzerland finished last in Group B. They had a record of 0-2-1 in the group stage. The Czech Republic beat Switzerland during the group stage. The score of that game was 2-1 Czech Republic. Czech Republic scored first. The score was 2-1 Switzerland after the first period. Switzerland would score the only goal of the second period. Switzerland would take a 4-1 lead in the third period. Czech Republic would get one back in the last 5 minutes of the game after pulling their goalie. Switzerland was able to hold the lead. The final score was 2-4 Switzerland.
A surprising rally from Switzerland has launched them into the Quarterfinals. This is their first win of the tournament. The Czech Republic has been eliminated. Switzerlands powerplay won it for them in this game. They scored two goals on the powerplay. Will Switzerland have another upset in store for the Quarterfinals?
Canada vs China. Feels like they just played. Canada came in second in Group A. They finished the group stage with a record of 2-1-0. China came in last in Group A. They finished the group stage with a record of 0-3-0. Canada defeated China 5-0 in the group stage. That game was the last game both teams played and the last game in the group stage for both teams. Canada opened up the scoring 6 minutes into the game. Canada would have a 2-1 lead after the first period. Canada would expand their lead to 5-2 after two periods. In the third period Canada scored twice to further expand their lead. The final score was 7-2 Canada.
This is what was expected. Canada came in and did what everyone thought they would. China didn’t have any surprises for Canada. HC Kunlun Red Star can go back to the KHL now. China has proven that they are contenders for the worst hockey team ever to play in the olympics. Canada eliminates China. Canada moves on to the Quarterfinals.
Here are the final standing:
Here is an image from the KHL Facebook page that does a really good job at explaining the standings.
Here is what the bracket looks like:
Here are the upcoming games:
Eight teams remain in the Men’s tournament. Three of those teams will walk away with medals. The United States is back in action tonight. They have a Quarterfinals matchup with Slovakia. Will the United States roll through Slovakia? Will Slovakia have what it takes to stand up to the United states? Will ROC (Russia) continue to find ways to win? Will Denmark upset ROC (Russia)? Does Finland have what it takes to make it to the Semifinals? Does Switzerland have another upset in them? Does Canada have what it takes to make it to the Semifinals? Will Sweden be able to beat Canada?
Zac Electrifly 