The World Junior Championship schedule-makers always seem to have a fun slate of action scheduled for the final day of round-robin play.

The four-game slate could completely shift the standings and alter the way the knockout rounds look if a game or two goes differently than expected.

In Group A, the game between the host Americans and the high-octane Swedes will determine who finishes first or second in the group, giving them the easiest path to the medal rounds. In Group B, the top three spots are nearly interchangeable between Canada, Finland and Czechia. 

With Germany and Denmark already locked into the relegation round, the Switzerland-versus-Slovakia and the Czechia-versus-Latvia games could affect the bottom of the standings and throw a wrench in things as well. 

Group A

USA-Sweden Battle for Top Seed

The only two teams that are undefeated without going to overtime face off at 6 p.m. ET.

The Americans and Swedes have nine points, which lock them into the top two spots in Group A. The winner will have a much easier path, likely playing Latvia in the quarterfinals, while the loser will likely face the Czech squad, which has been a thorn in everyone's side. 

Team Sweden is the second-highest scoring squad at the world juniors, and they've allowed the second-fewest goals as well. They have been a force in nearly every game, with just Slovakia giving them any real pushback in the opening game of the tournament.

The Swedes' top players, such as Anton Frondell, Victor Eklund, and Ivar Stenberg, have been excellent, and they will need them to continue to play stellar hockey against the back-to-back defending champions.

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The Americans must find a way to win another tight game. They've won one-goal games against Slovakia and Switzerland after opening the tournament against Germany in a contest that was tighter than expected as well.

This year's American squad isn't the juggernaut of the last few years, but they still have some potent offensive weapons in James Hagens and Will Zellers. This could be the game of the tournament. 

Slovakia Aims for Third

There are tiers of teams in Group A. The USA and Sweden are in the upper class, and Switzerland and Germany are in the lower class.

Slovakia looks to be in a group of their own in the middle. They will have the chance to prove that they aren't in that bottom group as they play the Swiss at 1 p.m. ET to open the final day of the round-robin. 

The Slovaks pushed the United States, controlling the first half of that game before the Americans got their act together. Against Sweden, the Slovaks looked like a very competitive group and ended up losing on a late third-period goal by the Swedes.

They've been better than what their record shows, and if they can handle their business against Switzerland, they will lock themselves into third. That doesn't set them up for the best matchup, as they could face any of Canada, Finland or Czechia, but it would be quite a fun matchup nonetheless.

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Group B

Canada And Finland Compete For Top Spot

Canada's last round-robin game at 8:30 p.m. ET will once again determine whether they finish atop the group on New Year's Eve, taking on a Finnish squad as structured and steady as ever.

Neither team has made it easy on themselves to this point, but it should be quite a fun matchup with the winner taking first in the group. If Canada loses, they will be no lower than second, while the Finns could fall to third if Czechia wins their game in regulation. 

The Finns are in an interesting position. They have to win in any fashion to get into first place, but any loss will drop them to third if Czechia wins in regulation. The Finns have allowed the fewest goals in the tournament, and they've scored the second-most, tied with Sweden. They are getting scoring from all over their lineup, something they desperately need without a true star. They'll need Aatos Koivu or Oliver Suvanto to step up and have a big game, as neither has been incredible offensively to this point, but they've been effective two-way players. 

Canada got past Czechia and Latvia by the skin of their teeth, and they aren't a juggernaut offensively as some had hoped. They broke out and pumped Denmark for nine goals, but Denmark is one of the least potent teams at the world juniors in recent memory.

An overtime win against Latvia and a back-and-forth affair to open the tournament against Czechia showed that Canada can be slowed down. They'll need their stars, Gavin McKenna, Zayne Parekh and Porter Martone, to come through for them in a massive New Year's Eve game. 

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Czechia Looks To Jump Into Second 

The Czech squad will play at 3:30 p.m. ET, so they will have to wait to see what happens with Finland against Canada. But if they can take care of business against Latvia, Czechia could find themselves in second place, lining up to play their rivals, Slovakia, in the quarters rather than the loser of USA-Sweden. 

Czechia defeated the Finns in overtime and pushed Canada to the brink in their game. They are fast and physical, and they play a structured brand of hockey. Regardless of who they play in the quarters, they are going to be a threat to knock anyone out.

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