The knockout stage of the 2022 World Junior Championship is here. Wrapping up Wednesday’s action is the final quarterfinal of the day, a matchup between the USA and Czechia.
USA finished first in Group B with a perfect 4-0-0-0 record, defeating Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland. It has been a group effort for the Americans, who are aiming to win back-to-back gold medals for the first time at the World Juniors.
Thomas Bordeleau leads the team with seven points; the Sharks draft pick has a goal and six assists heading into the quarterfinals. Behind him are Carter Mazur and Matt Coronato, who each have four goals and two assists.
MORE: Watch the 2022 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
“Team chemistry is really high, I think that is the biggest thing with our team,” Bordeleau said. “Coach (Nate Leaman) has done a great job, obviously (bringing the team together), but also just a little bit of the circumstances of this tournament. Middle of the summer. We’re all about summer vibes, but (we) know that it’s grind time and it’s competing time.”
Goaltending was the biggest question mark coming into the tournament, but Kaidan Mbereko has answered the questions. He went 3-0-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in his three preliminary-round starts.
Czechia is stumbling into the quarterfinals following an upset loss to Latvia. A win would have secured a No. 3 seed for the Czechs and a quarterfinal matchup against Sweden. Instead, Latvia leapfrogged them for third place in the group and Czechia now has to face the USA.
The team won just one game in the prelims, 5-4 over Slovakia. Jan Mysak leads Czechia with five points (three goals, two assists). Michal Gut and Stanislav Svozil each have three points.
The Sporting News will provide live scoring updates and highlights throughout the contest.
USA vs. Czechia score
| Matchup | P1 | P2 | P3 | OT | F |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Czechia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
USA vs. Czechia live updates, highlights from 2022 World Juniors
Pregame
9:30 p.m. — Team USA rolls out the same lineup as we’ve seen to ends the prelims.
Here are the lineups for the final QF between USA and Czechia. USA lines all the same as they’ve been. CZE will be without Jaroslav Chmelar (NYR) and Jan Bednar (DET) not even dressing as we believe Suchanek gets the net. pic.twitter.com/xwCpEvwArU
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) August 18, 2022
What channel is USA vs. Czechia on today?
- Canada: TSN4
- United States: NHL Network
TSN has all the World Juniors action in Canada. In the United States, viewers can find the games on NHL Network.
E.J. Hradek will be on the call for NHL Network. He’ll be joined by analyst Dave Starman and reporter Jon Rosen.
How to live stream World Juniors hockey games
Fans in Canada can stream all World Juniors games on TSN.ca or the TSN app. U.S. fans can stream the tournament on fuboTV (which comes with a free trial), NHL.tv or the NHL app.
USA vs. Czechia start time
- Start time: 10:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. local)
The quarterfinal between the U.S. and Czechia will start at 10:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. local time, from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta., home of the NHL’s Oilers and WHL’s Oil Kings.
MORE: Team USA 2022 World Juniors roster, results
USA vs. Czechia odds
- USA: -3.5 (+119)
- Czechia: +3.5 (-164)
The puckline stands at 3.5 for Wednesday’s game between the USA and Czechia, according to Sports Interaction. The U.S. failed to cover the puckline against Germany and Sweden but covered it in its wins over Switzerland and Austria.
USA World Juniors schedule 2022
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Opponent | Result | TV info |
| Aug. 9 | Germany | W, 5-1 | 10 p.m. (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 11 | Switzerland | W, 7-1 | 10 p.m. (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 13 | Austria | W, 7-0 | 2 p.m. (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 14 | Sweden | W, 3-2 | 10 p.m. (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 17 | Czechia (quarterfinals) | — | 10:30 p.m. (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 19 | Semifinals | — | TBD (TSN, NHLN) |
| Aug. 20 | Bronze/gold | — | TBD (TSN, NHLN) |
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