The Czechs are a bit of a surprise entrant in the medal round, with coach Filip Pesan acknowledging it would take a miracle for his team to beat Canada. The Czechs were a convincing 3-1 in the preliminary round, finishing second to Sweden in Group B, and they beat Finland in the quarter-final. Their penalty killers, though, have allowed seven goals, to three for Canada, and they have taken more penalty minutes than any other team. Canada beat the Czechs 9-0 in a pre-tournament exhibition game, a result no one takes seriously because five of the Czech Republic’s best players didn’t dress. Brett Howden’s third line has six goals, seven assists.

Source: thestar January 04, 2018 01:07 UTC