TheRealness said:Huge save on the breakaway there for Canada's goalie.
DeltaForce said:Bummer. The US certainly has its work cut out for it now if it wants to defend its title: Russia in the quarters, (probably) Sweden in the semis, and (probably) Canada in the finals. That's a tough road.
Canada gets Switzerland, the Czech Republic/Finland winner, and the Sweden/Russia/US/Slovakia winner.
I don't think so, at least as I read the tiebreaker rules. In a three-team tie, you take common games to eliminate one team (here, Switzerland), and the remaining tied teams are ranked by a head-to-head tiebreaker (Finland over Russia).ForceAtHome said:
If Finland wins or forces OT, it's USA-Russia. If Switzerland wins in regulation, I believe the US get the Swiss with Finland finishing in 4th.
DeltaForce said:I don't think so, at least as I read the tiebreaker rules. In a three-team tie, you take common games to eliminate one team (here, Switzerland), and the remaining tied teams are ranked by a head-to-head tiebreaker (Finland over Russia).
It's moot, as you said, but I love trying to figure out scenarios, so bear with me here:ForceAtHome said:
In this scenario, Switzerland would have beaten Finland, Finland beat Russia, and Russia beat Switzerland. So they split there. The next tie breaker is goal differential. Russia would win that to get second in the group behind Sweden. Since it then become a two-team tie, it's back to H2H where Switzerland would have the edge over Finland. That would mean the Swiss would have finished 3rd with a regulation win.
It went OT though, so the US gets Russia. Canada gets the Swiss.
Tie breaking formula
The tie-breaking system for two teams with the same number of points in a standing will be the game between the two teams, the winner of the game taking precedence.
Due to the fact that the three-point system does not allow a game to end in a tie, then the following tie breaking procedure is applicable when three or more teams are tied in points in a Championship standing.
Should three or more teams be tied on points, then a tie breaking formula will be applied as follows, creating a sub-group amongst the tied teams. This process will continue until only two or none of the teams remain tied. In the case of two tied teams remaining, the game between the two would then be the determining tie-breaker as the game could not end as a tie. In the case of none of the teams being tied, the criteria specified in the respective step applies.
Step 1: Taking into consideration the games between each of the tied teams, a sub-group is created applying the points awarded in the direct games amongst the tied teams from which the teams are then ranked accordingly.
Step 2: Should three or more teams still remain tied in points then the better goal difference in the direct games amongst the tied teams will be decisive.
Step 3: Should three or more teams still remain tied in points and goal difference then the highest number of goals scored by these teams in their direct games will be decisive
Step 4: Should three or more teams still remain tied in points, goal difference and goals scored then the results between each of the three teams and the closest best-ranked team outside the sub-group will be applied. In this case the tied team with the best result (1. points, 2. goal difference, 3. more goals scored) against the closest best ranked-team will take precedence
Step 5: Should the teams still remain tied, then the results between each of the three teams and the next highest best-ranked team outside the sub-group will be applied.
Step 6: Should the teams still remain tied after these five steps have been exercised then Sport considerations will be applied and the teams will be ranked by their positions coming into the Championship (seeding).
Note: If not all mutual games have been played yet in an ongoing tournament, the tied teams will be ranked in the standings according to the following criteria: 1. Lower number of games played, 2. Goal difference, 3. Goals scored, 4. Positions coming into the Championship.
DeltaForce said:It's moot, as you said, but I love trying to figure out scenarios, so bear with me here:
The goal differential tiebreaker in a three-way tie is used only to eliminate the third team. (So, let's assume that Switzerland had won 4-3 in regulation. All three teams split their games, but the goal differential in those games would have been +3 for Russia, +2 for Finland, and -5 for Switerzland. So, Switzerland finishes fourth). Once the "third team" is eliminated, the tiebreaker for the remaining two would have been head-to-head, with Finland beating Russia. That's why I think Finland would have finished second even had they lost (in a non-blowout) today.
Again, though, it's moot.
Here's the complete tiebreaker rule from http://www.worldjunior2014.com/en/information/tournament-format/:
Interesting! I'm not sure you're right, and I'm not sure you're wrong, but . . . I'm starting to think you're right. I had assumed that the three-team tiebreaker rule was used to eliminate one team, not elevate one. Now I really wish Switzerland had won in regulation, just to see what the IIHF meant.ForceAtHome said:
My interpretation of those rules is that the team with the best goal differential breaks the tie. Since the rules word it as "the better goal difference" being "decisive" I have taken that to mean the top team (here it is Russia as you noted) wins the tie breaker. That puts them into second. That leaves Finland and Switzerland left, and the Swiss (in this scenario) beat the Finns H2H.
Looks like you get the first game of the quarters, so set the alarm. I won't be getting up but will be rooting for the Imperialist Pigdogs all the same.ForceAtHome said:
Team USA plays Russia on January 2. The semifinals are the 4th, and finals on the 5th.