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World Cup of Hockey 2016 predictions: Puck Daddy picks the champs
The exhibition games are over, the players are all together in one arena and the World Cup of Hockey is upon us!
Which teams will battle on through group play to the semifinals and then onto the best-of-three World Cup final?
Here are your friends from Puck Daddy, Yahoo Sports and elsewhere with predictions!
Greg Wyshynski, Puck Daddy Editor
Group A
USA
Canada
Europe
Czech Republic
Group B
Sweden
North America
Russia
Finland
Semifinals
USA vs. Team North America
Sweden vs. Canada
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada over the U.S. in two games.
***
Sean Leahy, Puck Daddy Editor
Group A
Canada
USA
Czech Republic
Europe
This is Canada’s to lose and the only question will be who finishes second. The U.S., as flawed as their roster may be, are still good enough to get by the Czechs and Team Europe. They can thank their goaltending for that.
Group B
Sweden
North America
Finland
Russia
Like Group A, it’s pretty easy to peg Sweden as winners of this group. The funnest part will be seeing the U23 kids battle their way into the semifinals. They’ll have a tougher time grabbing the second spot than the U.S. will in Group A, but the youthful enthusiasm and skill will allow them to eek by the Finns and Russians.
Semifinals
Canada vs. Team North America
Sweden vs. USA
How would the hockey world react if the U23 team was able to somehow beat Canada?
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada over Sweden in 3 games. They were dominant in Sochi and have incredible depth in their player pool that even with a few injuries they retain world power status. Sweden will give them the toughest test of the tournament as they look for revenge from the 2014 gold medal game. But it won’t be enough.
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Josh Cooper, Puck Daddy Editor
Group A
Canada
USA
Europe
Czech Republic
The Canadians and the Americans will duke it out for Group A supremacy. Canada is the most talented team in the tournament and should come in first, with Team USA coming in second. The Europeans and the Czech Republic will do better than expected, but they won’t be able to knock the two North American heavyweights out of the tournament.
Group B
Sweden
North America
Finland
Russia
Team North America will be the surprise team out of this group. Their speed will catch their older opponents off guard and push them into the semifinal. To me, Sweden is the big contender from this group. Russia’s lack of strong defense will prevent them from making it out of this round and the Finns don’t have the firepower to get to the semifinal.
Semifinals
Canada vs. North America
Sweden vs. USA
Canada’s heavy game will take down Team North America’s speed and expose the young guns’ defensive shortcomings. Sweden’s strong puck possession game will combat Team USA’s grittiness and lead to a win over the Americans.
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada 2-1 over Sweden
Even with all of their injuries, the Canadians are still the top team in the tournament. They are built to play any style and their size and strength will take down Sweden’s all-around game in the best-of-three.
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Jen Neale, Puck Daddy Editor
Group A
Canada
USA
Czech Republic
Europe
Canada is the clear favorite. Team USA has to make it or the league loses a large part of its casual fans on TV who don’t feel the same patriotic pride for Team North America. (I have a conspiracy theory.)
Group B
Sweden
North America
Russia
Finland
This was the most difficult group to pick. Sweden is a sleeper team. They laid an egg in the final exhibition game but they’re a heck of a lot better than they get credit for. Team North America has enough scoring to surprise some people. Russia’s the odd team out. Their goaltending is even more suspect than the North American kiddos.
Semifinals
Canada vs North America
Sweden vs USA
Canada will overpower the kids. Sweden will keep it close but a mysterious force will push the US to the final. Power outage? Torts rage? Missed coach’s challenge? The NHL will give the people what they want – a rematch of the 2010 Gold medal game.
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada vs. USA. Winner in 3 games.
This is the matchup and series length the NHL wants for their tournament.
Canada wins it all to kick off the centennial season in the NHL. Congrats on the party Toronto. Enjoy it while you can.
/takes off tinfoil hat
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Ryan Lambert, Puck Daddy Columnist
Group A
Canada
USA
Europe
Czech Republic
Frankly the group finishes are pretty much self-explanatory. As has been discussed at length, the NHL basically rigged the groups so the teams with the most Name Players will advance to the semi-finals. For example, the US roster is basically the fifth- or even sixth-best in the tournament but will be able to get to the knockout round because it’s in the group with the only two teams that are worse.
Group B
Sweden
North America
Russia
Finland
As for Group B, well, it’ll be more interesting (not to damn it with faint praise), but talent will out itself in the end.
Semifinals
Canada defeats North America
Sweden defeats USA
I want Canada/North America so badly I could cry. The raw talent on display in that game is going to be probably the best we’ve ever seen in hockey. But Canada has better goaltending and defense, so there ya go. Sweden will annihilate the US. A Tortorella-coached team might manage 15 shots against a defense of that quality, but I’d be inclined to take the under on it.
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada over Sweden in three games seems reasonable. The talent the Canadians are always going to bring to the table in these kinds of tournaments should be enough to win even if they don’t play particularly well. But Sweden has That Defense in front of Henrik Lundqvist, so goals are likely to be at a premium, and there’s always the possibility that the best goalie alive steals a pair of games. These will be close.
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J.P. From Japers’ Rink
Group A
Canada
USA
Europe
Czech Republic
The U.S. should thank its 50 stars that tourney organizers desperately want them in the knockout round, because the Euros and Czechs are probably the only teams of the eight that they could reasonably be expected to beat with any frequency (and advancing might mean U.S. higher-ups don’t get the much-needed wake-up call to change their horribly outdated thinking on team construction). The class of this group, of course, is Canada, whose fourth line would be the top line for anyone else, and they’re going to make everyone look a step or ten slow… and some of these teams don’t need any help in that regard.
Group B
Sweden
North America
Russia
Finland
This is the Group of Death (a.k.a. “We don’t care which of these good teams die in the round-robin, because we’re not putting any of them in a group with the Americans”), and could shake out in just about any order. Sweden would seem to be the class of the group, with an absurd blueline, some scoring up front and a terrific netminder, but in a three-game round-robin, anything can happen. Russia’s defense is weak (take that out of context, Putin!) and the Fins may not be quite good enough to compete with this group, but we all want one thing out of Group B: the North American kids advancing.
Semifinals
Canada beats North America as Connor McDavid sings Neil Young’s “Old Man” to Sidney Crosby in the dying seconds in the most Canadian moment ever and Braden Holtby realizes (five months too late) what it’s like to smile while shaking Matt Murray’s hand in the postgame line-up.
Sweden wins a low-scoring affair over the Yanks, who block 40 shots and stand for the entire game out of fear of being benched for disrespecting Cory Schneider’s pads. Way to go, Torts!
Who wins the World Cup?
In a rematch of the gold medal game in Sochi, Canada beats Sweden in two games, the first close and the second not so much. It’s an easy, boring prediction, but this Canadian team is just too good… on paper.
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Sam McCaig, Yahoo Sports NHL Editor
Group A
Canada
USA
Czech Republic
Europe
This one is straightforward: Canada and the USA look like the best two teams in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, while the Czech Republic and Team Europe appear to be the two weakest sides in the tournament. It would be absolutely shocking if either one of the North American hockey powers fails to advance to the semifinal round.
Group B
Sweden
North America
Finland
Russia
This one is a free-for-all: All four teams have the ability to advance to the semifinal round — and even win the whole thing. It’s entirely possible that I’ve got it completely wrong with this prediction, and that Russia and Finland end up advancing with Team North America and Sweden left out.
Semifinals
Canada beats North America.
Sweden beats USA.
Well, well, well … wouldn’t it just turn the World Cup of Hockey on its ear if the kids eliminated heavily favored Team Canada in the semis? Yes, it would. But don’t bet on it. Team Canada is the favorite for a very good reason: they’re very good.
Blame Sweden for spoiling the pre-planned drama of a Canada-USA final, with Henrik Lundqvist’s netminding and Sweden’s all-world defense corps trumping the U.S.’s star power up front.
Who wins the World Cup?
Canada sweeps Sweden in the final: Playing coach Mike Babcock’s relentless high-tempo style, Team Canada’s superstar roster has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals and has its sights set on another championship. Anything short of World Cup supremacy will be viewed as failure, especially with the the event being held on home ice in Toronto.
