2025 World Juniors: Quarterfinal hopes on the line highlight top storylines for Dec. 30
OTTAWA – We’re closing in on the end of the round-robin portion of the 2025 World Junior Championship, with the final two-game slate set for Monday afternoon.
Kazakhstan and Slovakia will open up Group B play at TD Place earlier in the day, with Germany and Latvia having the lone battle at Canadian Tire Centre later on. Both games could have major playoff implications, so there’s no room for error, even if neither game may seem particularly exciting on the surface.
Here’s a look at the top storylines ahead of the action today:
1. Can a tired German team spoil Latvia’s fun?
Latvia has been the talk of the World Juniors so far after beating Canada and giving the United States a run for their money. But if Germany beats them at Canadian Tire Place, that’ll mean Latvia will need to beat Finland to avoid falling into the relegation round. Could you imagine that – pulling off the biggest win of your team’s existence, only to have to play to avoid falling back down?
The Germans have had issues scoring so far, registering just five goals in three games. They’ve also allowed the most goals in Group A with 16, nine more than Latvia (albeit in one more game). Latvia will be rested after not playing since Saturday, while Germany will look to rebound after the loss to Canada on Sunday.
This game might not be the talk of the town, but it’s legitimately very important for both teams – a German loss means they’ll be playing in the relegation round for the third time since earning promotion to the 2020 tourney. A German win won’t sink Latvia, but they’ll need to win against Finland if they don’t.
2. How hard will Kazakhstan push it?
The Kazakhs have had a rough go, allowing 22 goals over the first two games. In theory, Kazakhstan a chance to push Slovakia and maybe keep the game close, but the real gold-medal game for them is Tuesday’s bout with Switzerland.
Will Kazakhstan rest players to make sure they’re ready to go against the Swiss? Switzerland has today off and might be flying high from their excellent third-period effort against the Swedes (primarily on the power play). Switzerland has the edge on pure skill and defensive play, but they’ve had a rough go through their three games.
If Kazakhstan can somehow steal a point against Slovakia, things could get interesting. Slovakia has the edge over Switzerland in head-to-head, but a Kazakh win could force a potential three-way tie for third in Group B. That’s asking a lot, though – Kazakhstan has just three goals, and they’ve allowed a tournament-leading 22. How will they react after a big 14-2 loss to Czechia? Will they elect to focus ahead for the game against Switzerland?
3. Can Slovakia build up momentum ahead of playoff push?
On the flipside, the Slovaks haven’t had a ton of fun at TD Place. They needed a late goal to beat Switzerland on Friday, and they’re averaging just two goals a game. That’s hardly a recipe for success. Fortunately, they’ve done a solid job of keeping pucks away from the net, and should have no issues shutting down Kazakhstan.
Slovakia can’t move up in the standings, as a win would still keep them three points behind Sweden and Czechia. But it would make the Switzerland/Kazakhstan game a winner-takes-all situation. Slovakia needs to go all out to give themselves as much of a cushion as possible before getting set to play one of Canada, USA, or Finland in the quarterfinal.
Monday’s Schedule
Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia: 1:00 PM ET
Latvia vs. Germany: 3:30 PM ET
The standings after day 4️⃣!🙂#WorldJuniors #IIHF pic.twitter.com/FS6TnwkMCb
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 30, 2024
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