It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but the United States took care of business to begin their 2023 World Juniors, defeating Latvia 5-2 on Monday.
Today, the USA continues on with Group B play, squaring off against faces Slovakia.
The United States got off to a slow start against Latvia, failing to score in the first and skating to a 2-2 tie in the second. But three unanswered goals in the final frame was enough to get the win.
“Everyone knew that we were going to face adversity going into this tournament,” USA defenseman Sean Behrens said after the game. “It’s a short tournament, but there’s a lot of adversity, and it happened to us right off the hop even if we weren’t expecting it. And it’s how you respond to that adversity. I thought we did a great job of that, and really responded to our coach’s message.”
MORE: Watch the 2023 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Slovakia, coming off a disappointing ninth-place finish at the 2022 World Juniors, lost to Finland on Tuesday afternoon 5-2. A three-goal second period by the Finns proved to be the difference maker in the contest.
The Sporting News has a complete guide to how to watch the USA vs. Slovakia in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, including the start time and TV channels for viewers in the United States and Canada.
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USA vs. Slovakia start time
- Start time: 4 p.m. ET (5 p.m. AST)
The puck will drop at 4 p.m. ET from the Avenir Centre in Moncton, N.B., home of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats.
It is the second game of the tournament for both teams and the first World Juniors game on Wednesday.
MORE: Team USA 2023 World Juniors roster, results
What channel is USA vs. Slovakia on today?
- United States: NHL Network
- Canada: TSN 1/5
TSN has all the World Juniors action in Canada, while in the United States, viewers can find the games on NHL Network.
Stephen Nelson will provide play-by-play coverage for NHL Network. He will be joined by analyst Dave Starman and reporter Jon Rosen on the broadcasts.
Dennis Beyak and Craig Button will be on the call for the USA games for TSN. Laura Diakun and Dave Reid will be in the studio.
How to live stream World Juniors hockey games
U.S. fans can stream the tournament on fuboTV (which comes with a free trial), NHL.tv or the NHL app.
Fans in Canada can stream all World Juniors games on TSN.ca or the TSN app.
USA vs. Slovakia odds
- USA: -2.5 (-159)
- Slovakia: +2.5 (+114)
- O/U: 6.5
The USA opened as 2.5-goal favorites on the puck line for their game against Slovakia, according to Sports Interaction.
USA World Juniors schedule 2023
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Time (ET) | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26 | Latvia | W, 5-2 | 4 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 28 | Slovakia | — | 4 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 29 | Switzerland | — | 4 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 31 | Finland | — | 4 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 2 | TBD (Quarterfinals) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 4 | TBD (Semifinals) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 5 | TBD (Gold-Medal Game) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
