Getty Team USA winger Matthew Boldy.
The United States men’s junior hockey team will take on Sweden on Thursday in the preliminary round of the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Both teams have clinched a spot in the next round, though seeding is still at stake.
In the US, the game starts at 9:30 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 Sweden 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 Sweden 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 Sweden 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 Sweden Preview
Team USA improved to 2-1 and secured advancement to the quarterfinals on Thursday, blasting the Czech Republic 7-0.
Spencer Knight made 22 saves for the shutout in a bounce-back performance. The first goalie selected in the 2019 NHL draft — going 13th overall to the Florida Panthers — surrendered 4 goals on 12 shots in the Americans’ tournament-opening loss to Russia before exiting for Dustin Wolf, a seventh-round selection by the Calgary Flames that same year. Wolf blanked Austria in an 11-0 blowout on Saturday, facing just 10 shots.
“You can’t play perfect all the time, and especially these tournaments,” Knight said after Thursday’s win, according to NHL.com. “It’s important to shake it off even though it could be hard sometimes. I think I relied on coming back to the rink the next day and getting a little skate in and having a good practice and game.”
It took Team USA more than 25 minutes to break through against the Czechs, who were coming off a 2-0 victory over Russia.
Bobby Brink punched home a rebound goal to get the scoring started. The winger, a second-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019, scored once more about 10 minutes later to make it 3-0, again at the mouth of the net.
“The Czechs showed against Russia that they have a really good team and it took us a while to cash in on it,” Brink said, according to Sporting News. “I think if we play like we did in this game in the rest of the tournament, I think our team is going to do really well.”
Anaheim Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras, the ninth overall pick in 2019, potted a pair of goals and added a trio off assists to lead Team USA in points for the second straight game, following a 4-point outing against Austria. His 10 points tie him for the tournament lead with Germany’s Tim Stützle and John-Jason Peterka, who’ve played in four games.
“I loved the way we played,” Zegras said, per NHL.com. “Any time you beat a team 7-0, regardless of who you’re playing, it’s an awesome team game and I think [Knight] got a lot of his confidence back, and a couple guys who haven’t scored got on the board tonight so I think we’re headed in the right direction for sure.”
Sweden fell to Russia 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday, snapping a streak of 54 victories in preliminary-round games, which lasted just shy of 14 years. Noel Gunler, a Calgary Flames second-round pick in 2020, forced the extra period with a minute to play in regulation. The winger’s 4 tournament goals lead the team.
The Swedes have also clinched passage to the quarterfinals, having the Czech Republic and Austria in their first two tests.
“Doesn’t matter,” Swedish defenseman Philip Broberg — whom the Edmonton Oilers selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft — said after the defeat, per NHL.com. “We’re here to win [the championship]. That’s what everybody is focused on.”