Getty Team USA winger Matthew Boldy.
The United States men’s junior hockey team will take on Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships on Saturday in Edmonton.
In the US, the game starts at 10:30 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 Slovakia 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 Slovakia live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, 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 Slovakia live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, 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 Slovakia Preview
Team USA fell to Russia 5-3 in the tournament’s first game, then rallied for shutout victories over Austria, the Czech Republic and Sweden to claim Group B’s top seed. The Americans amassed 22 goals in those victories.
“I’m very proud of the way that we came back in this tournament from losing our first game, to then win our group is a good accomplishment,” head coach Nate Leaman said after besting Sweden on New Year’s Eve, according to the official USA Hockey website. “I think we continue to be a disciplined team which has been very important to our success and now the tournament begins. We have to reset our mindset, we can’t live in the past of the success we’ve had, and we need to get ready for the second phase of the tournament.”
Against Sweden, American center Trevor Zegras, whom the Anaheim Ducks drafted ninth overall in 2019, notched the team’s second goal early in the first period, then added a pair of helpers in the second period.
He leads the tournament with 13 points, and his 6 goals have him tied for the top spot in that category with Canadian center Dylan Cozens, selected two spots ahead of Zegras by the Buffalo Sabres in 2019.
Netminder Spencer Knight, selected 13th overall in 2019 by the Florida Panthers, stopped all 27 shots from Sweden for his second consecutive shutout. After a rough outing against Russia, Knight sat while Dustin Wolf, a Calgary Flames seventh-rounder in 2019, blanked Austria.
Knight’s 93.4 save percentage and 1.58 goals against average both rank second in the tournament. Canada’s Devon Levi, a Panthers seventh-rounder in 2020, is tops in both categories.
The Slovakians opened their tournament with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland, but they’ve dropped three straight since, falling once in overtime.
They closed group play with a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Finland. Slovakia trailed 1-0 after 25 minutes of play before the Fins netted a pair in a three-minute span.
“In that second period, there was lots of pressure on us, they were all over us … we were losing lots of battles,” Slovakia coach Robert Petrovicky said following the loss, according to NHL.com. “We have to go back to what it was in the first few games and the first few days, see what was working for us, especially those first few games.”
Slovakian netminder Simon Latkoczy, an 18-year-old eligible for the 2021 NHL draft, has impressed in two games between the pipes. He stopped 18 shots to blank Switzerland, then made 32 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Germany. His 93.3 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average both rank third in the tournament.
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How to Watch USA vs Slovakia World Hockey Juniors 2021 Online