The USA is set to play Finland in the first semifinal of the 2022 IIHF World Championship on Saturday. Both teams from Group B will play the game at Tampere's Nokia Arena. Finland ranks first in Group B while the USA ranks fourth but there's no big gap in points of the two teams.
In fact, if the USA had won their head-to-head meeting in the group stage in regulation instead of losing it, the two teams would have finished tied on 16 points, according to IIHF.
How To Watch USA vs Finland IIHF Semifinal?
The crucial match will be live-streamed on TV and online. The game can be watched live on, WatchESPN, DirecTVStream and fuboTV. Apart from the cable network, it can also be watched on ABC coverage via DirecTV and fuboTV.
On Monday, the US lost to the Czech Republic and now the team has the final chance to enter the quarterfinals and maintain its position in the top four teams of Group B. While Finland has already solidified its spot in the next round.
Finland Already Solidified its Spot In Next Round
Apart from the Finnish team, Sweden and the Czech Republic have also solidified their spots in the next round. The USA and Finland both played on May 16 during each team's third stage game.
USA and Finland Met Eight Times in Knockout Games
Both teams have met eight times in knockout games, with Finland holding a 6-2 advantage since the introduction of the playoff system for the 1992 World Championship, according to IIHF.
The last time they met was in 2013 during a bronze-medal game. The USA had won that game by 5-4 in a shootout. Both teams have also previously met in the semifinals. Finland had won both games in 2001 (3-1) and 1994 (8-0).
