It all comes down to the two best teams throughout the tournament as the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship has reached its final stage, where host Sweden takes on Team USA for the gold medal to determine the best of all.
Watch USA vs Sweden hockey: IIHF World Juniors without cable
Sweden is seeking its first gold medal since 2012, while the United States will look for its sixth gold medal and first since 2021. The game will be a rematch of last year’s Bronze Medal Game, where the USA won 8-7 in overtime to finish third in the tournament.
The United States is 16-2-1-16 with two ties in 37 games against Sweden at the World Junior Championships. Team USA is unbeaten in this tournament, while Sweden has one shootout loss (against Finland) and is otherwise a force to be reckoned with.
When is the 2024 World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game?
The gold medal game between the USA and Sweden will kick off at 1:30 pm ET on Friday, January 5, at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden.
How to Watch the 2024 World Junior Championship in the United States?
Watch USA vs Sweden hockey: IIHF World Juniors without cable
How to Watch the 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden?
In Sweden, SVT ($160/year), TV4, TV12 (SEK 59 with ads, SEK 149 without ads), C More (SEK 149 Per month), and NENT/Viasat will stream the gold medal game for fans living in areas other than Gothenburg.
How to Watch the 2024 World Junior Championship in Canada?
TSN will televise the USA vs Sweden gold medal game in Canada. The game will be televised on the TSN app.
How to Watch the 2024 World Junior Championship from Anywhere?
Alternatively, you can watch the USA vs Sweden Gold medal game from anywhere in the world through NextMirror for only $9.99 without needing any VPN. Another good part beside being cheap, is that there are no hidden or automatic charges.
2024 World Junior Championship Preview
Team USA:
It wasn’t easy for Team USA against Finland. They looked bewildered out the gate, turning the puck over and allowing Finns to get in front of goalie Trey Augustine (DET).
Oiva Keskinen (CBJ) and Rasmus Kumpulainen scored goals in the first period off a turnover and off a point shot through traffic, respectively, giving Finland a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers) scored a power-play goal late in the third period, and Team USA advanced to the gold-medal game for the second time in four years.
Throughout the tournament, Team USA has showcased a potent attack and led the tournament with 39 goals. In six games, five wins, and one overtime win, they’ve outscored the opponents to 39-13 till this stage.
Team USA has been led offensively by Gauthier (12 points; 10 assists), Brindley (nine points; six goals), Howard (seven points; five goals), and Snuggerud (seven points; five goals). Hutson has six assists and leads his country in averaging ice time (23:24).
Team USA owns the second-best penalty kill (85.7 percent; 12-for-14) in the tournament. Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) is expected to start after making 19 saves in a 3-2 win against Finland in the semifinals. He has won all three starts with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
This highly-anticipated fixture will be personal for the U.S. captain and a few of his teammates, including Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers), Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), Frank Nazar III (Chicago Blackhawks), Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets), defensemen Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens), Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) and Seamus Casey (New Jersey Devils). They were part of the U.S. team that lost to Sweden (6-4) at the 2022 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Germany.
Team Sweden
Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) scored two goals in the third period to help his side advance to the gold-medal game for the first time in six years. Each Noah Ostlund (Buffalo Sabres), Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings), and Theo Lindstein (St. Louis Blues) had a goal and an assist.
Sweden will play its 14th gold-medal game at the World Juniors. 1981 and 2021 championship winners have hosted the tournament six previous times and won medals in three of those events: silver twice (1993, 2014) and bronze once (1979).
Sweden has scored the opposition 25-8 in six games this tournament. Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Canucks; nine points – six goals) has secured a point in all six tournament games and enters the gold medal game with a three-game goal streak.
Noah Ostlund (Buffalo Sabres; nine points – six assists), Felix Unger Sorum (Carolina Hurricanes; six points – five assists), and Otto Stenberg (Blues; eight points – four goals) have also contributed in the run.
Host Sweden has thrived defensively behind the performances of Axel Sandin Pellikka (Red Wings; five points – two goals, 20:38 average ice time), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks; 20:29), Theo Lindstein (Blues; eight points, six assists, 19:50), Tom Willander (Canucks; 19:56) and Mattias Havelid (San Jose Sharks; five points, 17:13).
Coming to the gold medal game, Sweden has the top-ranked power play (45 percent; 9-for-20). Expected goalie Hugo Havelid (2024 NHL Draft eligible) has four wins with a 0.98 GAA, a .952 save percentage, and two shutouts in four starts.
Swede can defend well, not allowing much through the middle. They’re a more physical team than fans are used to, seeing as they have defenders who can throw their weight around and bigger forwards who find ways to get to the interior.
USA vs Sweden: Other News And Notes
* Cutter Gauthier (PHI) enters the gold-medal game as the leading scorer with 12 points at the 2024 World Junior Championship (two goals and ten assists).
* Jonathan Lekkerimaki (VAN) leads the Swede team in scoring and is tied for second in the tournament with nine points, including six goals (tied with USA’s Gavin Brindley (CBJ) for the tournament lead).
* Hugo Havelid and Trey Augustine (DET) are the top two netminders in the tournament by save percentage. Havelid is No. 1 with a .952 mark, while Augustine is No. 2 with a .940 save percentage. Both goalies have also won each of their starts to date.
