The two stunning games last night have forced me to rewrite my rankings:
12. Latvia (0-0-0-1)
11. Norway (0-0-0-2)
10. Belarus (0-0-0-1)
9. Germany (0-0-0-1)
8. Switzerland (0-0-1-1)
7. Slovakia (0-1-0-1)
6. Czech Republic (1-0-0-0)
5. Russia (1-0-1-0)
4. Finland (1-0-0-0)
3. Sweden (1-0-0-0)
2. United States (2-0-0-0)
1. Canada (1-1-0-0)
Now for some logic. Obviously, teams without a win (Switzerland through Latvia) couldn't be ranked higher than winning clubs. Of those teams, Switzerland and Germany gave the best fights.
Slovakia certainly deserves a move up for beating Russia (and holding them to one goal), but they still only have 2 points in the standings, and need to hope the Czechs can also beat Russia to get a good seeding for the play-in round.
The matchup between Czech Republic and Russia is now huge. The Czechs can clinch a bye to reach the quarterfinals with a win. Goal differential may be the key in this group.
Finland and Sweden were both impressive in their debuts, but I hold more stock in defense than offense. These two are expected top 4 finishers for me.
Canada gets the nod over the US for the top spot because they are still the favorites to win the head-to-head matchup on Sunday. Meanwhile, the US could probably clinch the number 1 spot for the rest of the tourney by beating Canada. Both have clinched top-8 finishes, and an overtime decision would probably give both teams a bye into the quarterfinals.
Also, post #200. woooooo.
- Matt
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