No. 1A Sweden vs. No. 4B Latvia (1:00 PM, Grand Casino Arena) 

Hot off a 6-3 thumping of the host Americans, Sweden enters the knockout stage of the tournament as arguably the favorite, bringing a spotless 4-0 record into the quarterfinal round. 

Sweden's Big Three of first-round draft picks Anton Frondell (three goals, two assists, five points), Victor Eklund (1-2-3), and 2026 first-round lock Ivar Stenberg (2-2-4) have produced well, but the play of Jack Berglund, Lucas Pettersson, and Alfons Freij has given the Swedes the most productive team of the remaining field. 

Berglund, a Philadelphia second-rounder, had three assists in Sweden's win over the United States in the final preliminary round game, which brings his WJC totals to five assists and six points. Pettersson's two goals against the U.S. tie him with Berglund for the team's lead in scoring with five goals and six points. Freij has five assists from the blue line through four games. 

Like Berglund, Pettersson was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, going 35th overall to the Anaheim Ducks, as was Freij, by the Winnipeg Jets. 

In goal, Love Harenstam has played three games to Herman Liv's one, and has posted a goals-against-average of 2.33 and a .919 save percentage. 

Latvia's 6-3 win over Denmark on Dec. 30 earns the team a spot in the quarterfinals. The Latvians took Canada to the brink in their opening game of the tournament, then lost 8-0 to Finland and 4-2 to Czechia in their final preliminary match. 

Kristers Ansons leads Latvia in scoring with two goals and five points, followed by Bruno Osmanis (1-3-4) and likely 2026 first-rounder Alberts Smits (1-3-4). 

No. 2B Czechia vs. No. 3A Switzerland (3:30 PM, 3M Arena at Mariucci) 

Since losing to Canada in a 7-5 barnburner, Czechia has won three consecutive games, including victories over Denmark (7-2), Finland (2-1), and Latvia (4-2). The win over Finland was one of the best matches of the tournament, as Adam Jiricek lifted Czechia with an overtime goal. 

The duo of Vojtech Cihar and Tomas Galvas has done the bulk of the producing for Czechia, with each player recording two goals and seven points thus far. Vaclav Nestrasil and Petr Sikora each have five points, and Adam Benak has four. Adam Jirecek and Tomas Poletin are tied for the team's lead in goals with three apiece. 

Switzerland (2-2) has ridden its defense and goaltending into the quarterfinals, surrendering just eight goals in its first four games. That mark is tied with Sweden for the fewest goals allowed in preliminary play. The Swiss penalty kill has been instrumental during the tourney, going 100% in 13 kills. 

Leo Muggli leads the Swiss in points without scoring a goal, dishing out four assists through four games. Goaltender Christian Kirsch and Elijah Neuenschwander have split time between the pipes, with Kirsch finishing prelims with a sparkling 1.01 GAA and .941 save percentage. 

No. 2A United States vs. No. 3B Finland (5:00 PM, Grand Casino Arena) 

Saying that the U.S. is limping into the quarterfinals might be hyperbolic, but the injuries to Lane Hutson and Max Plante, coupled with the 6-3 loss to Sweden on New Year's Eve, don't exactly mean the Americans' confidence cup is brimming. 

But make no mistake, this team is still one of the favorites for a medal. 

During preliminary play, the U.S. topped Germany 6-3 before pulling off one-goal wins over Switzerland 2-1 and Slovakia 6-5. Maple Grove native Will Zellers has been electrifying, totaling five goals and seven points. Top-liners Brodie Ziemer and James Hagens have combined for three goals and 11 points. 

The U.S. has had all three goaltenders see action this week, with Caleb Heil playing twice, and Nick Kempf and Brady Knowling playing one game each.

Finland started hot with a 6-2 win over Denmark and an 8-0 win over Latvia, before the aforementioned overtime loss to Czechia and Wednesday's 7-4 defeat at the hands of Canada. Five different players have recorded five or more points for the Finns, paced by Jasper Kuhta's goal and five assists. 

During preliminary play, Finland tied with Canada for the fewest goals allowed (11). Petteri Rimpinen has played every minute in goal, stopping 61 of 70 shots. His best performance came in the loss to Czechia, where he stopped 24 of 26 shots. 

No. 1B Canada vs. No. 4A Slovakia (7:30 PM, 3M Arena at Mariucci)  

No matter how you feel about Canada's roster (and Canadians on the internet seem to have no shortage of opinions), whoever has been on the ice has provided hockey fans with four highly entertaining games. 

The 7-5 win over Czechia and 2-1 win over Latvia set the stage for a 16-goal explosion in games three and four, in which the Canadians trounced Denmark 9-1 and pulled away from Finland for a 7-4 win. 

Canada has three players - forwards Michael Hage and Gavin McKenna, plus defenseman Zayne Parekh - tied with Slovakia's Tomas Chrenko for the tournament's scoring lead, with eight points apiece. 

Even at 1-3, Slovakia remains dangerous, and could have been 3-1 entering the quarterfinals if a bounce or three had gone its way. Slovakia lost its first game 3-2 to Sweden, beat Germany 4-1, then lost 6-5 to the U.S. and 3-2 to Switzerland. 

As mentioned above, Tomas Chrenko is tied with the Canadian trio for the tournament's scoring lead, but Adam Nemec (2-4-6) has also provided supplemental scoring. 

Slovakia has allowed seven goals in the second period of games so far, more than half of its total goals allowed. Slovakia has also allowed the most shorthanded goals of any remaining team. Clean up those two aspects, and Canada could be in for a trap-ish game.