Playoff Bound: USA Canada Sweden Switzerland

The 2026 IIHF World Championship preliminary rounds ended with high-stakes wins: USA crushed Austria 4-1 to clinch playoff spot, Sweden edged Slovakia 4-2 in a thriller, and Canada dominated Czechia 3-2 to seal top group spot with a perfect 6-1 record. Quarterfinal matchups are set — USA vs Canada (a fiery rematch), Sweden vs Switzerland (undefeated hosts), Norway vs Latvia, and Finland vs Czechia. Playoff action kicks off Thursday — expect fireworks as the best teams battle for gold. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/c109bdfdb726189e