Team USA honors late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau after Olympic gold win
After winning Olympic gold, Team USA hockey honored late NHL star Johnny Gaudreau by carrying his jersey and inviting his kids onto the ice.
The defending champion United States’ chances of making the men’s hockey world championships quarterfinals got tougher after a loss to Latvia.
The Americans fell to sixth place and no longer controlled their fate in their bid to finish in the top four in Group A and clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.
But an Austria loss to Germany gave the USA two possible paths to advance. The standings after Sunday’s games are Austria (third, nine points), Latvia (fourth, nine points) Germany (fifth, seven points) and United States (sixth, five points).
The USA doesn’t play until Monday, May 25 when it faces Hungary before it wraps up the preliminary round on Tuesday against Austria. But Latvia and Austria were in action on Sunday, May 24. Here is how those games affected the Americans’ chances:
Latvia beats Great Britain 6-0
Latvia’s win moves it to fourth place, four points ahead of the USA. The Americans could gain another six points in their final two games, so the USA can still pass Latvia. The Latvians face Hungary on Tuesday. A victory would give Latvia a quarterfinal berth. Latvia holds the tiebreaker because it beat the Americans.
Finland beats Austria 5-2
This is great news for the United States because it faces Austria on Tuesday. If the Americans beat Hungary and Austria in regulation, they would have 11 points to nine for Austria.
What about Germany?
Germany faces Great Britain on Monday and can finish with a maximum of 10 points, making it possible for the USA to catch it. The Americans hold the tiebreaker, having previously defeated the Germans.
USA’s best scenario to clinch
The USA gets in if it beats Hungary and Austria, ideally in regulation.
