Sports
van
The men’s Olympic hockey bracket is set.
Following four qualifying round games on Tuesday, we now know the eight countries that will be vying for the Olympic podium in the men’s hockey tournament. Finland will be looking to defend their Beijing 2022 title, while Canada, the USA, Slovakia, Sweden, Czechia, Germany, and Switzerland will join them in the knockout stage.
Canada enters the Olympic playoff as the top-seed, going a perfect 3-0-0 and posting a +17 goal differential during the preliminary round. They will line up against Czechia in the quarter-final on Wednesday at 10:40 a.m. EST/7:40 a.m. PST.
Wikipedia
The other quarter-finals will feature Slovakia going up against Germany, Finland battling with Switzerland, and the United States facing Sweden in a heavyweight matchup. All those games are set to go on Wednesday.
The schedule for these QF games is as follows:
Slovakia vs. Germany – 6:10 a.m. EST/3:10 a.m. PST
Canada vs. Czechia – 10:40 a.m. EST/7:40 a.m. PST
Finland vs. Switzerland – 12:10 p.m. EST/9:10 a.m. PST
USA vs. Sweden – 3:10 p.m. EST/12:10 p.m. PST
From there, things remain a bit murky as teams will be re-seeded going into the semi-final based on the preliminary round standings. Since Canada finished at the top of the field, their potential semi-final opponent will be the lowest-ranked country to advance past the quarter-finals.
Here is how the playoff teams rank based on preliminary standings:
1. Canada
2. USA
3. Slovakia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland
6. Germany
7. Sweden
8. Czechia
There are a few intriguing semi-final scenarios for Canadian hockey fans to keep an eye on. If everything shakes out as expected and the higher-seed quarter-finalists all win, that means Canada will go up against Finland in the semis.
However, that could very easily change. If Sweden defeats the USA, they will move on to face Canada. If the USA wins and Germany defeats Slovakia, then it would be a Draisaitl vs. McDavid semi-final.
Canada could also face Switzerland in the event that they eliminate the Finns and both the U.S. and Slovakia move on. No matter what happens, Canada cannot meet the Americans or Slovaks until a potential gold or bronze medal game.
Fans wanting to keep tabs on Canada’s path to their first gold medal in men’s hockey since 2014 will have to stay tuned to just about every quarter-final.
- You might also like:
- How much money Canadian Olympic medalists earn compared to other countries
- U.S. Olympic men's hockey team snubs fans wanting high fives
- Seth Jarvis' buddies are trying to link up NHL star with Canadian Olympian that's obsessed with him
National
News
Urbanized
Food & Drink
Sports
Events
Lifestyle
Travel
Business & Tech
National
News
Urbanized
Food & Drink
Sports
Events
Lifestyle
Travel
Business & Tech
Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content.
Part of