World Cup of Hockey 2016: Semifinal TV Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions

The World Cup of Hockey, minus co-favorite Team USA, moves onto the semifinal round Saturday and Sunday in Toronto.

While the Americans were eliminated following three brutal performances against Canada, Europe and the Czech Republic, the Canada was perfect in its group games.

They picked up three regulation wins and finished as the top seed in Group A. As a result, they will play Russia, the second-place team in Group B, on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.

The other semifinal will see Group B winner Sweden take on Group A second-place finisher Team Europe. That game will be played at 1 p.m. ET Sunday and will be televised by ESPN.

Both games can be live-streamed via WatchESPN.

Game	Date	Time	TV	Prediction
Canada (A1) vs. Russia (B2)	Sept. 24	7 p.m.	ESPN2, CBC, TVAS	Canada 3, Russia 2
Sweden (B1) vs. Europe (A2)	Sept. 25	1 p.m.	ESPN, CBC, TVAS	Sweden 5, Europe 2

The powerful Canadians were the only one of the eight teams to go through the first round of the tournament with an unblemished record. Sweden was also strong, but it suffered an overtime loss to Team North America.

The balance on Team Canada has been evident since the rosters were named earlier in the year, and that factor has played out in the tournament. Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby and Matt Duchene lead the team with four points each in their three games, and Brad Marchand, Logan Couture and John Tavares are right behind with three points apiece.

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Patrice Bergeron, one of the most effective players in the tournament because of his defensive dominance and skill in the face-off circle, has contributed a pair of goals.

Combine the star power of Canada along with the superior coaching of Mike Babcock and the goaltending of Carey Price, and it would be a shocker if the Canadians did not win the tournament.

Their semifinal matchup with Russia could be a challenge because of the presence of stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin. Ovechkin has scored a team-leading three points in the tournament, and it's clear he would love to see his team beat Crosby and the Canadians.

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Ovechkin and his longtime rival have met many times in the playoffs or on the international stage, and Crosby has gotten the better of the Washington Capitals captain most times. Crosby and Ovechkin have met 54 times in the NHL and international tournaments, and Crosby's teams have a 35-19 lead in those games.

On the other side of the bracket, Sweden will rely on the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist and their strong crew on the blue line to advance to the final.

The Swedes get competent play up front from Nicklas Backstrom, Filip Forsberg and Henrik Sedin, but their attack is triggered by defensemen Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman.

Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

Lundqvist is the key to their title hopes, as he will have to be good against Team Europe and even better in the championship round if the Swedes get that far. Lundqvist has a 1.95 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage in the tournament.

The advancement of Team Europe to the semifinals is a surprise, as that team looked overmatched in a 7-4 loss to Team North America prior to the start of the tournament. However, Europe came together in the tournament's opening game, whipping Team USA 3-0 to set the stage for a strong showing.

Mats Zuccarello is the team's leading scorer with three points. Leon Draisaitl has been a pleasant surprise with two goals. Zdeno Chara has been a tower of strength on the blue line, as he has made it difficult for opponents to cash in on their offensive chances with his long reach and physical presence.

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

Russia could give Canada a good game if it gets off to a strong start. Should the Russians come out of the first period with the lead, the hosts could develop a case of the flop sweats and panic would ensue.

But even if that happens, its difficult to see Russia playing well enough for 60 minutes to earn a trip to the championship round. Look for Crosby, Toews and Bergeron to score for Canada, and that will offset goals by Ovechkin and Tarasenko.

There's no pressure on the Europeans, who were expected to finish at the bottom of Group A. There's significant expectation on Sweden, a nation that has long fared well in international competition, winning a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics and gold at the 2006 Olympics.

Sweden will be led by Karlsson and Backstrom, and the team should cruise to a three-goal win over Europe.