The Swedes were all but through to the latter stages of competition in Buffalo, United States, following opening round wins over Switzerland and Japan, but their lack of concentration in the final group stage allowed Finland to secure passage to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Sweden.

Switzerland and Finland were joint on three points apiece coming into the final fixture with Sweden looking favourites to qualify due to their seemingly easier final match tie with Japan.

They did all that was needed to progress to the knockout stages of the competition with a 3-1 win over bottom of the group Japan but were left in dismay as Sweden's early form deserted them, leading to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Finland, who progressed to the quarter finals on goal difference.

Sweden were almost on the brink of losing their spot atop Group B, in fact, with just a single goal giving them progression as group leaders.

In contrast, Group A was a clear cut affair as the United States thrashed Russia 7-1 to secure their place as group winners.

An over-time win over closest rivals Canada in the opening game gave the US an early advantage in the group, with a convincing 3-0 victory against the Czech Republic in their second encounter paving a clear path to the semi-finals.

United States recorded an impressive 7-1 victory over Russia to progress to the semi-final of the World Championships as group leaders ©Francois Laplante/HHOF-IIHF Images



Canada completed a full recovery from that early disappointment to secure their place in the semi-finals as runners-up in the group.

Their edgy 3-2 victory over Russia in the second match was bolstered by an impressive 7-1 win over the Czech Republic today, cementing their position behind the US.

With Group A providing the four top seeds in the tournament, tomorrow's fixtures will see the Czech Republic take on Group B leaders Sweden and Russia entertain Finland in the quarter-finals.

The winners of each game will then go on to face the US and Canada in the semi-finals on Sunday (January 11), before the final on Monday (January 12).

For Switzerland and Japan, they will now play a best-of-three match series, with the winner remaining in the World Championships for 2016 while the loser will be relegated to Division I.

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