Canada to face Sweden in quarter-finals at Women’s Worlds on TSN
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The quarter-finals at the IIHF Women’s Worlds are set to get underway on Thursday as Canada takes on Sweden with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
The two teams also faced off in last year’s worlds with Canada taking the contest 3-2 in overtime on Sarah Nurse’s game-winner.
Watch Canada vs. Sweden LIVE on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on TSN1 and streaming on TSN.ca and TSN.ca.
Canada won the first three games of the round robin before falling 1-0 in overtime against the United States on a goal from Kirsten Simms.
Canada’s top line has been quiet on the scoresheet through the first four games of the tournament. Brianne Jenner has a goal and two assists, Sarah Fillier has a goal and an assist, and captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who was nursing an injury before the Canadian camp, has just one assist.
Forward Kristin O’Neill leads the team in scoring with two goals and four points.
In goal, Ann-Renée Desbiens has a .974 save percentage and 0.65 goals-against average in three appearances and turned aside 29 shots in the loss to the Americans.
Sweden has three players in the top 10 in tournament scoring, led by forward Josefin Bouveng at No. 4 with four goals and an assist. Hilda Svensson is tied for fifth with three goals and two assists and Sara Hjalmarsson 10th with two goals and four points.
Sweden will be without Hjalmarsson on Thursday after she was handed a one-game suspension on Wednesday for cross-checking.
Goaltender Emma Soderberg, who plays in the PWHL with Boston, has started three of four games with a .914 save percentage and 1.35 GAA.
Sweden has the best power play in the tournament after the round robin, scoring four goals on 13 opportunities, while Canada has the best penalty kill, not allowing a goal on 11 kills.
Canada is 11-0 all-time against Sweden at the Women’s Worlds.
Finland vs. Switzerland
Finland and Switzerland both finished off the podium last year and are looking for better results after a tough round robin.
Watch Finland take on Switzerland at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on TSN1 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Finland’s lone win of the round robin came against Switzerland, a 5-2 victory. The Finns continue to be led by 37-year-old captain Jenni Hiirikoski, who led the team in scoring with one goal and four assists.
Switzerland lost all four games in the preliminary round and have struggled mightily to put the puck in the net. Lara Stalder leads the team in scoring with two goals, with Sinja Leemann the only other Swiss player with a goal.
Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli has been busy in net, facing 131 shots in three games and finishing with a .924 save percentage and 3.40 GAA.
Despite low offence, Finland had the second-best power play in the round robin, scoring three times on 12 opportunities.
Czechia vs. Germany
Czechia, looking to make it three straight years on the podium after taking bronze the last two years, will face Germany with their eyes on the semifinals.
Watch Czechia vs. Germany LIVE at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on TSN1 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Czechia finished third in Group A, collecting wins over Finland and Switzerland. Forward Natalie Mlynkova was the top scorer in the preliminary round with four goals and six points.
Goaltender Klara Peslarova played all four games for Czechia, stopping 116 of 128 shots she faced.
Germany emerged as the top seed in Group A, edging out Sweden.
Forward Laura Kluge led the Germans in scoring with two goals and four points with Julie Schiefer, Emily Nix and Bernadette Karpf all scoring twice.
German goaltender Sandra Abstreiter, who is Emerance Maschmeyer’s backup with PWHL Ottawa, has appeared in three games, managing a .973 save percentage and 0.67 GAA.
United States vs. Japan
The United States edged out Canada by one point to claim the top spot in Group A with its 1-0 OT win on Monday night.
Watch the United States face off against Japan at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on TSN1 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Veterans Kendall Coyne Schofield (three goals and six points), Hilary Knight (two goals and five points) and Alex Carpenter (three goals and five points) have been their usual productive selves while 21-year-old Caroline Harvey continues to grow as Team USA’s top defender with six assists in four games.
Aerin Frankel has started three of four games for the Americans, stopping 46 of 49 shots she’s faced.
Japan’s only win of the tournament was a 3-0 shutout against Denmark.
Akane Shiga, a forward for PWHL Ottawa, leads Japan in scoring two goals and five points.
On special teams, the United States has the third-best power play in the tournament which will be a tall task for Japan, who has the worst penalty kill at 60 per cent.