Super Swiss
Switzerland coach Christian Wohlwend believes the hockey spirits wanted something different this year, and that's why they have just as good a chance to win a gold medal as the other three teams.
"I told the guys that's a lifetime chance for us and for everybody," Wohlwend said. "And we will never forget about it. We can write history for Swiss hockey and world hockey."
Switzerland has a chance to medal for only the second time in WJC history and first since winning bronze in 1998 after advancing to the semifinals with a 2-0 win against Sweden on Wednesday. Wohlwend has had four effective lines and solid play by his goalie. Luca Hollenstein is 2-1 with a 0.66 goals-against average, two shutouts and .977 save percentage.
Wohlwend pointed to close losses against the Czech Republic (2-1 in OT) and Canada (3-2) as proof Switzerland could compete with the best teams in the tournament.
"Then you start to believe in yourself and say 'Wow, we can compete against the best' and we're just as good,'" Wohlwend said. "This is how we went into the quarterfinal and this is the reason we won against Sweden. We believed in us."
A night to remember
An amazing night for Finland coach Jussi Ahokas didn't end with a victory against Canada.
Ahokas announced the birth of his first son on social media an hour after the 2-1 overtime win.
"Great night, not the hockey, but the birth of the son," said Ahokas, who also has two daughters. "It will be a good story to tell."
The timing was the last in a series of fortunate breaks that helped Finland advance to the semifinals. After tying the game on a deflected shot from below the goal line, they won it on a shot that deflected off a defender after Canada defenseman Noah Dobson broke his stick on a shot at an open net at the other end.
Ahokas had no update on defenseman Ville Heinola, a B-rated skater in NHL Central Scouting's Players to Watch list, who left 14:41 into the second period after getting hit in the left knee.
Video magic
Jan Egert, the video coach for Switzerland a fifth straight year at the WJC, is living the dream doing what he does best to prepare his players and coaches.
Egert, 31, the assistant general manager for Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League, was instrumental in the game plan against Sweden.
"Sweden's strength was their defensive speed with Rasmus Sandin, Erik Brannstrom and Adam Boqvist," Egert said. "We had to play fast in their zone, turn and get the puck out right away when they came on an aggressive forecheck. Then it was about execution, a commitment to blocking shots, defending hard. We also needed a goaltending performance."
Egert works closely with Wohlwend, and assistants Paul DiPietro, a former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion, and Tommy Albelin, a former NHL defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup champion.
"I see a lot of similarities between Jan and Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas because they're both so knowledgeable," Albelin said. "He prepares the video for us and we let him pick some clips he feels are important, so he's a huge part of this. If (an NHL team) would want to hire a guy like this, it wouldn't surprise me."
Russia brings balance
Russia is led by a top line of Klim Kostin (St. Louis Blues), Vitali Kravtsov (New York Rangers) and Grigori Denisenko (Florida Panthers) that has combined for seven goals and 11 assists in five wins.
"They're skilled, smart guys, easy to play with," said Kostin, who has two goals and three assists.
Denisenko, selected No. 15 in the 2018 NHL Draft, has seven points (three goals, four assists) and is tied with defenseman Alexander Romanov (Montreal Canadians) for the Russia scoring lead. Kravtsov has six points (two goals, four assists). Russia ranks first on the power play in the tournament (31.25 percent) and is second on the penalty kill (89.47 percent), including three shorthanded goals.
Russia has received exceptional play from undrafted goalie Pyotr Kochetkov (3-0, 1.05 goals-against average, .965 save percentage).
Russia has won 12 of 19 games against the U.S. at the WJC, but the U.S. has eliminated Russia in the past two (3-2 in 2018; 4-3 shootout in 2017).
"Doesn't matter," said defenseman Dmitri Samorukov (Edmonton Oilers). "Different team, different day."
NHL.com Correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report
