The final day of the preliminary round at the 2026 IIHF World Championship has concluded and there was a lot of stake on Tuesday in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Three playoff round spots and seven of the eight seeds were up for grabs.
In the first set of games on Day 12, Latvia looked to put themselves in the playoff round with a win over Hungary, while Norway, who clinched their first quarterfinal spot since 2012 yesterday, was jockeying for position in Group B and faced Denmark on Tuesday. The second games on Tuesday proved to be the most important as the winners of United States vs Austria & Sweden vs Slovakia would punch their ticket to quarterfinal Thursday.
To round out the final day of preliminary round action, Finland and Switzerland, who came into Tuesday tied on 18 points, battled for top spot in Group A, with Canada, who already wrapped up first in Group B, took on a Czechia side that’s coming off a 4-1 loss to Norway.
Hungary (1) vs Latvia (8) F
Coming into action on Tuesday, Latvia knew what was at stake. A win would see them return to the quarterfinals for the third time in the last 16 years and first since 2023. While for Hungary, their tournament was over coming into this game, so they were hoping to play the role of spoiler.
It was all Latvia in the first period as nearly halfway through, Rudolfs Balcers picked up his tournament-leading seventh goal to make it 1-0 for his nation. In the process, set a new Latvian record for most goals by a player in a single IIHF World Championship. Nine minutes later, Latvia doubled their lead as Deniss Smirnovs continued his stellar play to give them a 2-0 lead. The Latvians weren’t done there as Eduards Tralmaks put them ahead 3-0 with 13 seconds left in the period.
Latvia’s goal scoring onslaught continued in the middle frame, with Toms Andersons and Miks Tumanovs both picking up their first of the tournament, making it a 5-0 game. Hungary would snap Kirsters Gudlevskis’ shutout bid late in the second period as Marton Nemes scored, cutting Latvia’s lead to four.
In the third period, Latvia added three more – one from Renars Krastenbergs and a pair from Florida Panthers prospect Sandis Vilmanis, as they would go on to defeat Hungary by a final score of 8 to 1 and officially punched their ticket to the quarterfinals, landing third spot in Group A.
Scoring Summary:
Hungary
- Marton Nemes (1). Assists: Zeteny Hadobas, Bence Horvath.
Latvia
- Rudolfs Balcers (7). Assists: Sandis Vilmanis, Eduards Tralmaks.
- Deniss Smirnovs (3). Assists: Kristaps Zile, Toms Andersons.
- Eduards Tralmaks (2). Assists: Haralds Egle, Martins Dzierkals.
- Toms Andersons (1). Assists: Oskars Batna, Renars Krastenbergs.
- Miks Tumanovs (1). Assists: Arturs Andzans, Deniss Smirnovs.
- Renars Krastenbergs (2). Assists: Haralds Egle, Arturs Andzans.
- Sandis Vilmanis (3). Assist: Rudolfs Balcers.
- Sandis Vilmanis (4). Assists: Alberts Smits, Eduards Tralmaks.
Norway (4) vs Denmark (3) F/OT
In the first game of the day in Fribourg, Norway was looking to inch closer to locking up second place in Group B as they faced a Denmark side that is set to miss out on the playoff round, 12 months after reaching the semifinals.
Less than 12 minutes into the first period, it was Norway who would find the back of the net. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar, who has been fantastic at this tournament, put home his fourth of the World Championship to give his nation a 1-0 lead. Norway would hold onto that 1-0 lead through 20 minutes after outshooting the Danes 8-4.
Norway and Denmark would exchange goals in the second period as nearly eight minutes into the middle frame, former San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld tied the game up at 1-1. Norway would respond less than three minutes later as their captain, Andreas Martinsen, finally scored his first of the tournament to regain the lead for his nation. Not long after, Tinus Luc Koblar would double down, scoring his second of the game to give Norway a 3-1 lead. A minute after Koblar’s goal, Joachim Blichfeld scored his second of the period to cut Norway’s lead to just one heading to the third.
Just as it looked like Norway had this one wrapped up and were enroute to locking up the second seed in Group B, Denmark equalized. With 1.1 seconds left on the clock, Patrick Russell put it past Henrik Haukeland to force overtime. In the extra frame, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard wasted no time in closing this one out, sniping one past Danish netminder Nicolaj Henriksen 13 seconds in to win the game for Norway.
Scoring Summary:
Norway
- Tinus Luc Koblar (4). Assists: Andreas Martinsen, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
- Andreas Martinsen (1). Assists: Thomas Olsen, Sander Hurrod.
- Tinus Luc Koblar (5). Assists: Max Krogdahl, Christian Kaasastul.
- Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (3). Assists: Sander Hurrod, Eskild Bakke Olsen.
Denmark
- Joachim Blichfeld (3).
- Joachim Blichfeld (4). Assists: Nick Olesen, Phillip Bruggisser.
- Patrick Russell (3). Assists: Alexander True, Mikkel Aagaard.
United States (4) vs Austria (1) F
With Latvia locking up a playoff berth earlier in the day, the fourth and final quarterfinal spot in Group A came down to the Austria and the United States, who came into the day with nine and eight points, respectively. Whoever came out on top in this one was staring down a quarterfinal date with Canada.
A little over five minutes into the first period, United States defenseman Connor Clifton picked up his first career IIHF World Championship goal, making it 1-0. 45 seconds later, the United States would double their lead as another defenseman got on the board for the first time in the tournament – Ryan Ufko of the Nashville Predators. The US outshot Austria 14-4 in that opening frame and had a 2-0 lead heading to the locker room.
In the middle frame, the United States continued to add to their lead. 1:07 into the second period, Paul Cotter put home his second goal of this year’s World Championship to give the United States a 3-0 lead. 2026 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk made it 4-0 on the power play ten minutes later as he put one past Atte Tolvanen right on the door step.
The Austrians would get one back courtesy of Simeon Schwinger’s first of the tournament, but it wasn’t enough as the United States booked their ticket to the quarterfinals on Thursday with a 4-1 win. The Americans finished the preliminary round with a 3-1-0-3 record, good enough for fourth place in Group A.
Scoring Summary:
United States
- Connor Clifton (1). Assists: Will Borgen, Alex Steeves.
- Ryan Ufko (1). Assist: Tommy Novak.
- Paul Cotter (2). Assists: Mathieu Olivier, Will Borgen.
- Matthew Tkachuk (4). Assists: Matt Coronato, Ryan Leonard.
Austria
- Simeon Schwinger (1). Assists: David Maier, Leon Wallner.
Sweden (4) vs Slovakia (2) F
In Group B, the final spot in the playoff round came down to Sweden and Slovakia. The Slovaks were at risk of missing the quarterfinals for the third time in the last four years, while Sweden hasn’t missed the playoff round just once – 2021, finishing in ninth place, tying their worst-ever placement from all the way back in 1937.
Less than five minutes into the game, Slovakia took one step closer to the quarterfinals as Martin Chromiak picked up his fourth goal of the tournament. Later on in the opening frame, Sweden would equalize thanks to Anton Frondell’s first of the World Championship, with the Chicago Blackhawks prospect tying things up at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Early in the second period, Sweden would take their first lead of the night as former NHL forward Jakub Silfverberg made it 2-1 less than three minutes in. The Swedes would add to their lead eight minutes later, with projected 2026 top-three pick Ivar Stenberg finding the back of the net for his fourth goal of the World Championship to make it a 3-1 game. Six minutes later, Slovakia would get on the board again, courtesy of their captain Marek Hrivik.
The Slovaks would push for the equalizer in the third period, but were unable to put another past Magnus Hellberg. Swedish captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson would put this game to bed, firing a shot from his own zone into the empty, giving his nation a massive three points and a spot in the quarterfinals.
Scoring Summary:
Sweden
- Anton Frondell (1). Assists: Joel Persson, Mattias Ekholm.
- Jakub Silfverberg (2). Assists: Carl Grundstrom, Jacob Larsson.
- Ivar Stenberg (4). Assists: Lucas Raymond, Viggo Bjorck.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson (3).
Slovakia
- Martin Chromiak (4). Assists: Adam Sykora, Patrik Koch.
- Marek Hrivik (4). Assists: Martin Fasko-Rudas, Mislav Rosandic.
Switzerland (4) vs Finland (2) F
The final game of the preliminary round in Group A in Zurich had monumental playoff implications. Coming into the contest, both Finland and Switzerland had perfect 6-0-0-0 records and the winner of this one would claim top spot and face Sweden in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
40 seconds into the first period, Attilio Biasca sent the fans at Swiss Life Arena into a frenzy as his first of the tournament gave Switzerland an early 1-0 lead. A tad over three minutes later, Switzerland went up 2-0 thanks to Ken Jager. The Swiss, who were up 2-0, would outshoot Finland 10-8 in the first period, but knew that their opponents were going to push back in the middle frame.
The Finns would bounce back in the second period as under 13 minutes into the frame, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov tallied his first of the tournament, cutting Switzerland’s lead to just one goal. A little over two minutes later, Barkov would double down, tying the game for Finland at 2-2 and silencing the thousands of Swiss fans in attendance.
Late in the third period, the Finns would take a costly delay of game penalty. While on the power play, Ken Jager scored his second of the night, giving Switzerland the lead with under four minutes to play. Nico Hischier would seal the three points with his empty net goal, giving Switzerland top spot in Group A and setting up a quarterfinal showdown with the Swedes.
Scoring Summary:
Switzerland
- Attilio Biasca (1). Assist: Dominik Egli.
- Ken Jager (2).
- Ken Jager (3). Assists: Timo Meier, Theo Rochette.
- Nico Hischier (5). Assists: Ken Jager, Timo Meier.
Finland
- Aleksander Barkov (1). Assists: Henri Jokiharju, Ville Heinola.
- Aleksander Barkov (2). Assists: Konsta Helenius, Henri Jokiharju.
Czechia (2) vs Canada (3) F
Canada had nothing to play for in their final preliminary round game on Tuesday as Czechia’s loss to Norway yesterday secured first place for Misha Donskov’s group. However for the Czechs, seeding was on the line as with a regulation win, they would finish second in Group B, while any result would see them in the third spot.
The Czechs came out firing in this one, outshooting Canada 11-4 in the first period. Six minutes into the opening frame, Marek Alscher gave his nation a 1-0 lead. Czechia would add to their lead later in the period as Matyas Melovsky found a wide open Dominik Kubalik in front of the net, with the former NHLer putting it through Jet Greaves’ five hole to extend his nation’s lead to 2-0.
In the second period, Canada got on the board as Macklin Celebrini fired home his fourth of the tournament, assisted by future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby. Czechia pushed to extend their lead, but Jet Greaves stood tall and the two nations headed to the third period with Canada trailing 2-1.
After outshooting Czechia 13-5 in the second period, Canada would continue to dominate in the final frame. Macklin Celebrini scored his second of the game to tie it up at 2-2 seven minutes in, with Canada outshooting the Czechs 8-0 at that point. A little over two minutes later, forward John Tavares scored to give Canada their first lead of the night. Czechia fans in attendance were stunned, especially with how well their team played to start the game. Canada held on for a 3-2 victory and finished the preliminary round undefeated at 6-1-0-0.
Scoring Summary:
Czechia
- Marek Alscher (2). Assists: Lukas Sedlak, Jakub Flek.
- Dominik Kubalik (4). Assist: Matyas Melovsky.
Canada
- Macklin Celebrini (4). Assists: Sidney Crosby, Dylan Cozens.
- Macklin Celebrini (5). Assists: Sidney Crosby, Parker Wotherspoon.
- John Tavares (3). Assists: Parker Wotherspoon, Evan Bouchard.
Standings
- X – qualified for playoff round.
- E – eliminated from playoff contention.
- R – relegated.
Group A
| Nation | GP | W | OT/SOW | OT/SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland - X | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 7 | +32 | 21 |
| Finland - X | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 11 | +20 | 18 |
| Latvia - X | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 12 |
| United States - X | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 11 |
| Germany - E | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 10 |
| Austria - E | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 29 | -12 | 9 |
| Hungary - E | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 38 | -24 | 3 |
| Great Britain - R | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 35 | -28 | 0 |
Group B
| Nation | GP | W | OT/SOW | OT/SOL | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada - X | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 13 | +20 | 20 |
| Norway - X | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 15 |
| Czechia - X | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 13 |
| Sweden - X | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 12 |
| Slovakia - E | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 11 |
| Denmark - E | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 26 | -11 | 6 |
| Slovenia - E | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | -12 | 6 |
| Italy - R | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 28 | -23 | 1 |
My 3 Stars of Day 12
- Sandis Vilmanis (Latvia) – 2 goals, 1 assist vs Hungary.
- Tinus Luc Koblar (Norway) – 2 goals vs Denmark.
- Ken Jager (Switzerland) – 2 goals, 1 assist vs Finland.
Quarterfinal Schedule (Thursday, May 28th)
- (A2) Finland vs (B3) Czechia – 10:20 am ET.
- (B1) Canada vs (A4) United States – 10:20 am ET.
- (A1) Switzerland vs (B4) Sweden – 2:20 pm ET.
- (B2) Norway vs (A3) Latvia – 2:20 pm ET.
(Image Source: hokejazinas.com)