TAMPERE, Finland — Team USA still has some work to do if they wish to make the quarterfinals of the 2022 IIHF Men's World Championship.
The Americans fell to Czechia, 1-0, on Monday morning, in their second to last game of the preliminary round.
Czechia's Matej Blumel scored the lone goal of the game halfway through the first period.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) stopped 15 of 16 shots on goal.
This matchup was the first game for Team USA with Minnesota Wild roster additions of Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman.
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The Americans are playing with only five defenseman, after Wild blue-liner Jon Merrill and Nick Blakenburg are both currently out of the lineup.
With the win, Czechia has now secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
Team USA has one more game to play in the preliminary round; which is against Norway. The Americans will need to defeat Norway to clinch a quarterfinal spot — if they lose to Norway then Latvia could knock Team USA out if they defeat Sweden. Latvia currently has eight points while USA has 10.
Team USA's final preliminary round game against Norway will be played on Tuesday, May 24, at 8:20 a.m. CT.
