By Jacob Messing

The 2018 IIHF World Championship preliminary round ended without much surprise Tuesday as the usual suspects advanced to face off in the single-elimination quarterfinals.

NHL players have been prominent through the seven-game prelims in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark, including Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho and Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, who lead the tournament with 17 points each.

The quarterfinals kick off on Thursday, May 17, with two games scheduled for 10:15 AM EST and two more at 2:15 PM.

Don’t miss the action as some of the NHL’s biggest faces compete for a piece of the "Triple Gold Club" on the international stage.

The quarter-final pairings are set. The #IIHFWorlds continue on Thursday in Copenhagen and Herning. Which game do you look forward to? https://t.co/apXC48gFRl pic.twitter.com/y0WzDKsO7Z

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 15, 2018

THURSDAY'S QUARTERFINALS

Sweden vs. Latvia

10:15 AM | Royal Arena, Copenhagen

As the top-seeded team after preliminary play, Sweden will take on a Latvia team that earned a 1-0 shutout over host Denmark for the final spot in the quarterfinal round.

Rickard Rakell, Mika Zibanejad, and Mattias Janmark led the way for Sweden’s offense as three of the top 11 scorers in pool play. The blue and gold went a perfect 7-0, dropping one point in an overtime win over Slovakia.

Sweden’s potency doesn’t end with the team’s offense, as Anders Nilsson has held down the net, allowing just nine goals on 82 shots through seven games.

For Latvia (3-1-2-1), four forwards with five points apiece helped shape the offense that snuck into the final eight teams. San Jose Sharks prospect Rudolfs Balcers tallied three of Latvia’s 16 goals, while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins turned aside opponent after opponent.

Even as a surprising team that took both the USA and Canada to overtime, Latvia won’t be much problem for Sweden, which is destined to walk into the next round.

Finland vs. Switzerland

10:15 AM | Royal Arena, Copenhagen

Carolina Hurricanes teammates Aho and Teuvo Teravainen have dominated tournament play and sit first and third in scoring, respectively. The two have combined for 14 goals and 32 points through seven games.

Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen strike again, as Team ??jumps out to a 5-1 lead over Team ??.#IIHFWorlds? pic.twitter.com/cdTVqrgG3Z

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 12, 2018

They helped lead Finland to the top spot in Group B, going 5-0-1-1. Harri Sateri shone in the crease as the Finns continue to impress in international play with more and more incoming youth.

Switzerland received a major boost when it added the Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi and Kevin Fiala mid-tournament. The Swiss (3-1-1-1) don’t boast the biggest names, but defensively responsible forwards and fair play out of Reto Berra helped them move on and earn a chance against Finland.

But the Finns play an equally responsible two-way game as well as a deeper offense and defense. They should make an easy target out of the Swiss.

USA vs. Czech Republic

2:15 PM | Jyske Bank Boxen, Hensing

The Americans (4-2-0-1) were in for a treat when Kane accepted the invitation to join the team for the first time since 2008. The captain turned a slow start to the tournament into a new scoring record for Team USA in assists (11) and points (17).

The U.S. leads the tournament with 39 goals, as production has come from all four lines. On the blue line, Charlie McAvoy’s presence has been huge. He leads the tournament in defensive scoring with three goals and eight points in just three games.

A young Czech team has impressed thus far with a 3-3-0-1 record, scoring with ease and defending similarly. David Pastrnak and David Krejci were late additions but have pulled the team to another level. They have combined for five goals and 11 points in four games.

The U.S. walked through last year’s tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Finland. As a deeper and more skilled team, the Americans won’t let that happen again versus the Czechs.

Russia vs. Canada

2:15 PM | Royal Arena, Copenhagen

It’s been a slow go for Canada, which still has come away with a 4-1-1-1 record. Aside from Connor McDavid’s 13 points (five goals, seven assists), no other Canadian has scored in the top 20. While the team’s scattered offense remains dangerous on all four lines, Canada’s lack of another go-to player will hurt come elimination games.

Connor McDavid with some unreal hand-eye to win it in OT for Team Canada over Latvia #IIHFWorlds2018 pic.twitter.com/qJHNlU0tKe

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) May 14, 2018

Netminder Darcy Kuemper has continued to get better as the tournament has gone on, but the high-power Russian forwards have the ability to send him right back to his early performances.

Pavel Datsyuk, Kirill Kaprizov, and Nikita Gusev have been virtually unstoppable, and Canada will need everyone’s “A” game against a 5-0-1-1 Team Russia.

It may come down to Russia’s dynamic power play against Canada’s No. 1 penalty kill, the only great thing the Canadians has contributed thus far.

Canada has looked unusually pedestrian this tournament and won’t be able to pull together to best a strong Russian team that has shown remarkable chemistry.

UPCOMING GAMES

All Times Eastern

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, May 19
Royal Arena, Copenhagen
9:15 AM — SWE/LAT Winner vs. USA/CZE Winner
1:15 PM —RUS/CAN Winner vs. FIN/SUI Winner

BRONZE MEDAL GAME
Sunday, May 20
Royal Arena, Copenhagen
9:45 AM — Loser S1 vs. Loser S2

GOLD MEDAL GAME
Sunday, May 20
Royal Arena, Copenhagen
2:15 PM — Winner S1 vs. Winner S2

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.