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Group A

Russia – Belarus

The Russians have won both games so far and are expected to do the same against Belarus today as well. Although the Red Machine had some trouble when playing Slovakia in the opening match, they now lead the group with six points. The second game to Kazakhstan was a much different one but only four goals scored against the outsiders was at least surprising. Oveckin, Kovalchuk and Siomin, the three NHL stars, got on to the score sheet that time. The 58th minute goal conceded against Kazakhstan should therefore only worry them a little as they still managed to win 4:1. Coach Bykov knows that this is a very important match in terms of the top 12 groups and therefore nothing but a win counts for the medal contenders today.
Belarus had a slow start in the match to Kazakhstan and were losing 2:0 in the second period. The great finish however saw them scoring five goals and winning the match 5:2 in the end. On the contrary, Belarus were the team to lead Slovakia 2:0 just after the first nine minutes but then the great second and third periods granted the Slovaks the precious three points in the match. Belarus know that this is their chance to get closer to the quarter-finals but Russia is a team they cannot match at the moment.
Pick:

• Under 6.5 @ 1.72 at bwin.com
• Russia to score over 3.5 @ ? at bwin.com
• First period over 1.5 @ 1.75 at bwin.com

Group A

France – Norway

This was expected to be the match between the two outsiders but they both proved us wrong. France suffered a heavy 6:2 defeat to the Czechs but they played very well in the second match to Sweden (3:2) where they were close to scoring the equalizer in the third period. Two losses means zero points and so they have a desperate need of a win here which would see them avoiding the relegation battle. Norway presented us with another rather shocking result when they beat the Czech Republic 3:2. The man behind this great success was goalkeeper Grotnes who saved 44 from a total 46 shots. The leader of the Czech side Jaromir Jagr scored two in that match but it was not enough to take anything from there. And so it is no surprise that he has been very critical of the young Czech stars from the NHL who haven`t come to Germany earlier than today. Norway therefore have a great chance of finishing the second and taking three points to the top 12 groups.
Pick:

• Norway @ 1.57 at youwin.com
• Norway -1.5 @ 2.00 at youwin.com
  
• Norway to score over 2.5 @ 1.75 at bwin.com
   

Group C

Sweden – Czech Republic

This was expected to be the battle for the top group finish but a shocking defeat of the Czechs in the match to Norway made things difficult for the favourites. While Sweden have got six points so far and are waiting for Nylander and Ericcson from the NHL to join them later this week, the Czechs have already lost three extremely important points and there are no signs of strengthening their squad in the oncoming days. The Czech Republic team have a lot at stake here as another defeat would see them advancing with zero points which means only a small chance of reaching the quarter-finals. Jarmoir Jagr is definitely the man who can get them the win today but the rather poor performance of goalie Pavelec who conceded 3 goals out of 15 shots in the match to Norway makes Sweden the favourites here. The Czechs are famous for being able to pick up the points when they need them the most but we are not expecting them to surprise us today. In a very disciplined and tactical match it will be Sweden to celebrate in the end.
Pick:

• Double Chance 1X @ 1.40 at bet365.com
• The first penalty in 05:00 – 60:00 @ 1.95 at bwin.com
• Czechs to score over 2.5 @ 2.10 at bwin.com
• Sweden -0.5 @ 2.05 at bet365.com

Group A

Kazakhstan – Slovakia

Kazachstan lost both their previous games (against Belarus and Russia) and they will face a tough opponent once again on Thursday evening. The team's objective was quite simple: collect enough points in the preliminary round, and finish third in the group to avoid the relegation round. But unfortunately for them, there isn't a lot of reason to hope for a big showing with this roster. Moreover, they don’t have enough experience from the world championships.
On the other hand, Slovakia were defeated 3-1 by a strong Russian team and after that managed to beat Belarus 4-2. Despite the team's lack of high profile stars, the team looks really good. It's an interesting collection of players led by young forwards. Veteran Ivan Ciernik has been a fixture of the Slovak national team for years, and he is ready to hand over some of the offensive load to the young core of players coming up. With many of the European teams not including a lot of NHL players, this might be for them the best chance in years to get to the podium.
Pick:

• Handicap Slovakia -1: 1.40 at bwin.com
• Slovakia will score the first: 1.36 at bet365.com
• Slovakia will have the first power-play: 1.75 at bwin.com