Getty Team USA winger Matthew Boldy.
The United States men’s national junior ice hockey team will take on the Czech Republic on Tuesday in the preliminary round of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Edmonton on Tuesday.
In the US, the game starts at 2 p.m. ET and will be televised on NHL Network. But if you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, here’s how you can watch a live stream of USA vs Czech Republic online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NHL Network and 130-plus other TV channels on FuboTV. You’ll need the main channel package and the “Sports Plus” add-on, both of which can be included in your seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch USA vs Czech Republic live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch the game on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the game live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of NHL Network and 45-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s Sling Orange plus Sports Extra bundle or Sling Blue plus Sports Extra bundle. It’s the cheapest streaming service with NHL Network, plus you can get $10 off your first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch USA vs Czech Republic live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch the game on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch the game live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
USA vs Czech Republic Preview
After bowing out of last year’s world juniors in the quarterfinals, Team USA opened their quest for the 2021 title in Edmonton with a 5-3 defeat to Russia on Christmas Day.
They rebounded a day later, however, crushing Austria 11-0. The Austrians mustered just 10 shots on net, all of which were turned aside by Dustin Wolf, who got the start after relieving Spencer Knight in the loss a day earlier. The Calgary Flames selected Wolf in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
“I was very happy with the response,” Team USA head coach Nate Leaman said following the win, according to Sporting News. “We know we left something on the table last night and they weren’t happy about it all day.”
The Americans planted 23 shots on net in the first period, but entered the first break with just one tally on the scoreboard thanks in part to a commendable effort from Austrian goalie Sebastian Wraneschitz.
“It was good that we faced a little adversity in the first period with only being able to score one on the 23 shots,” Leaman said, per Sporting News. “I’m happy that the guys stuck with it.
“I’m glad that the guys are building the mental toughness to kind of stay with things.”
Team USA struck six times in the second period. Center Trevor Zegras, whom the Anaheim Ducks selected with the ninth pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, scored twice in the period, as did winger Matthew Boldy, who went three picks after Zegras to the Minnesota Wild. Boldy finished with a hat trick and Zegras recorded a pair of assists for a team-high 4 points.
“Not everything was going our way in the first, but we kinda gotta look at the positives,” Boldy told reporters after the victory, per a video posted by USA Hockey’s Twitter account. “We were creating a lot of shots on net, just kinda waiting to break through, and obviously it happened.”
The Czechs also found disappointment in their tournament opener only to even their ledger a day later. They succumbed 7-1 to Sweden on Dec. 26, then bested Russia 2-0 on Sunday.
Netminder Lukas Parik, a Los Angeles Kings third-round pick in 2019, made 29 stops for the shutout.
“It was a great feeling,” the 19-year-old said of blanking Russia, per a video posted to the official website of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, for whom he posted a .917 save percentage across 32 games in 2019-20. “Of course we played great as a team, the guys helped me a lot. So it’s a great feeling, but we have to refocus for other games.”