SWILKES-BARRE, Pa. – O say can you see… a gold medal in the United States’ future? Find out from the quarterfinals of the NHL this season.
Group play has wrapped up at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, and now elimination games begin for the U.S. and the seven other remaining teams. There are plenty of Penguins players still alive in the tournament as well, with Casey DeSmith, Drew O’Connor, Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Alex Nylander all chasing a championship for their respective homelands.
The Tournament So Far
The United States has been cruising, putting forth one of its best showings at the tournament in years. After surviving an overtime against Sweden, the U.S. won Group A with an undefeated 7-0-0 record. They also scored the most goals (34) and have the best goal differential (+26) after the preliminary round.
DeSmith has split time in net with Los Angeles Kings goalie Cal Petersen, but the Penguins netminder has been lights out. In four starts for the Red, white & Blue, DeSmith has a .942 save percentage, 1.49 goals against average, and one shutout. O’Connor has also played well for Team USA, primarily deployed as a second-line center. O’Connor has three goals and five points in seven games.
Shockingly, Canada failed to win Group B, with that distinction belonging to Switzerland. Joseph finished the prelims with one goal and a +5 rating while averaging close to 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Nylander produced two assists in seven games while skating in a limited role for Sweden. Nylander and the Swedes will have their hands full in their quarterfinal matchup, as they have to take on a surging Latvia team… on Latvia’s home ice. As long as Latvia remains in the tournament, their games promise to have an electrifying atmosphere, even when games shift to Finland for the Semis and Final.
France failed to advance, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Justin Addamo tied for the team lead with two goals. He also recorded a 60.0% success rate on draws.
Penguins 21-year-old defense prospect Thimo Nickl averaged over 15 minutes per game on Austria’s blue line, but did not record any points. Like France, Austria did not advance to the knockout stage.
Below is the elimination round schedule, starting with Thursday’s quarterfinals. Most games will be covered live for American audiences on NHL Network.
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