Translated material
Divided before the final
Russia and Canada remain the main favorites for the World Cup playoffs
The pairs of quarterfinalists have been determined at the World Hockey Championship in Switzerland. The latest games, as well as the final lineups of the teams, only indicate that the list of favorites has not changed. Everything is heading towards the fact that for the second year in a row Russia and Canada will compete for gold medals. Moreover, the last matches in the second round only further convinced the experts that there was no escape from the meeting of these two teams, although the North Americans almost moved the main match of the tournament to the semifinals.Russia - Belarus. In this quarterfinal pair, the favorite is clear. The Belarusian team did not have a very smooth tournament, although everyone in our neighbors is already happy with the result of the World Cup. The psychological advantage will be on the side of our rivals, because if they succeed, they will become national heroes, and defeat will not come as a surprise to anyone.
Good news is coming from Vyacheslav Bykov's team. Danis Zaripov is already training in full, but the final decision on this striker will be made only on the day of the match. The “trouble” is that now our headquarters has no one to change. Formally, Sergei Mozyakin is considered an extra forward, but in a line with Alexander Perezhogin and Anton Kuryanov, he plays fairly good hockey. And Zaripov is now out of shape; for several days he couldn’t even go to the gym. The Belarusian team has practically no problems with its composition. Goalkeeper Andrei Mezin felt slightly unwell, but Vitaly Koval can replace him. “We will do everything to reach the semi-finals,” said Belarusian leader Mikhail Grabovsky.
Czech Republic - Sweden. The Swedish team, having started the tournament with a somewhat experimental composition, is now strengthened to the brim. First they submitted documents for goalkeeper Jonas Gustafsson, and then for two forwards - Henrik Lundqvist and Per Ledin. “I am confident that with this squad we will be able to compete for the highest places in the championship,” said head coach Bengt-Ole Gustafsson. “But now all thoughts are only about the upcoming opponent.”
The Czechs have serious problems with their defense and goalkeeper. After the first round of the NHL playoffs, the Czechs were the happiest, because they managed to strengthen themselves with players such as Patrik Elias and Milan Mihalik. Both hit the ground running as soon as they arrived in Europe, taking part in an 8-0 rout of the Slovaks.
“It seems to me that the Czech team is now balanced and reliable,” says Slovak coach Julius Schupler. “It’s clear that the team is improving from match to match.”
Canada - Latvia. In the last match of the tournament, the Canadian team almost lost its leadership in the group, losing the entire match to the Finnish team, at times by two goals. But in 10 minutes. Before the final siren, the founders of hockey equalized the score, and then lost only in a shootout. For some, the instability of the Canadians in this meeting was a good sign. Like, the team that swept away everyone in its path is not so strong. As soon as they met with an organized team, problems immediately began. Spartak coach Milos Rzhiga does not think so: “It seems to me that the Canadians did not want to go to this match at all and were always doing some extraneous things on the ice. But as soon as they tensed up, the score instantly became equal, and the Finns tried not to concede in regulation time. Good workout for goalie Dwayne Roloson. He seemed to stop over 50 shots.” In fact, it was this game that convinced the Canadians to be the tournament favorites. The North Americans added one goalkeeper, but did this only for insurance. Their national team is complete, and there is no point in changing hockey players. As for the Latvians, they promised to do everything in their power, but getting into the top eight at the tournament is the maximum that the team can achieve.
USA - Finland. The most unpredictable pair, if only because both teams play equally unstable. The Finns alternate successful matches with disastrous ones. The team raised its self-esteem by managing to beat the Canadian team itself in two periods, but the attack of the northerners is not so strong. However, Jere Lehtinen, who arrived from overseas after the end of the season, as well as Jarkko Ruutu are capable of winning in any situation.
In the last match of the group stage, the Americans staged a thriller against Switzerland. In a certain scenario, in case of defeat, they could take fifth place in the group. And the hosts were very close to sending home one of the most interesting teams of the tournament. But at the very last moment, US hockey players demonstrated their presence of character. “I don’t think that the team from America is capable of winning anything at this tournament,” says famous hockey specialist Vladimir Krikunov. “In fact, they are not stronger than the Belarusians.”
Group "E"
| 1. Russia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27--11 | 14 |
| 2. Sweden | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23--17 | 10 |
| 3. USA | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19--18 | 8 |
| 4. Latvia | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13--14 | 7 |
| 5. Switzerland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9--12 | 6 |
| 6. France | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8--27 | 0 |
Group "F"
| 1. Canada | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26--9 | 13 |
| 2. Finland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15--8 | 11 |
| 3. Czech Republic | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20--11 | 9 |
| 4. Belarus | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6--13 | 6 |
| 5. Slovakia | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8--20 | 4 |
| 6. Norway | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7--21 | 2 |