Kaiden Guhle and Team Canada Get Fourth Place at World Hockey Championship

The parity in International Hockey is at an all-time high, and it was never more evident than Saturday's semifinal games at the World Hockey Championship. Czechia played against Sweden in the early game, while Canada took on Switzerland in the semifinals. If you take everything you know about international hockey, you'd assume that there was a good chance Sweden and Canada would be playing in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday. However, Czechia and Switzerland persevered to advance and get the opportunity to play for the championship.

After a good semifinal game, Guhle didn't dress in the Bronze Medal game due to an injury from blocking a shot. It was a disappointing end to a successful tournament for Guhle, who continues to struggle with injuries at inopportune times.

Switzerland Wins Exciting Semifinal in a Shootout

The Swiss jumped on Canada early in the semifinals, not allowing Canada to record a shot until the nine-minute mark of the first period. The pressure paid off, as Kevin Fiala scored on the powerplay with five minutes remaining in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. Nino Niederreiter doubled the Swiss lead two minutes later with another powerplay marker.

It wasn't looking good for Canada, but Brandon Tanev scored, making it 2-1 with six minutes remaining in the second to make it interesting. The Canadians received a powerplay in the dying minutes of the third period, and John Tavares put home a Connor Bedard pass to send the game to overtime.

Kevin Fiala and Connor Bedard scored in the shootout, but former Hab Sven Andrighetto scored the winning goal to send Canada to the bronze medal matchup.

Guhle played 20 good minutes for Canada in the semifinals, but it's unclear when he suffered the injury that kept him out of the Bronze Medal Game.

Czechia beat Sweden 7-3 in the other semifinal, thanks to a four-point outing from Martin Necas. (A future Habs trade target?) It was the first four-point game in a semifinal since Luc Robitaille in 1994.

Sweden Defeats Canada for Bronze Medal

Sweden jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Carl Grundstrom opened the scoring. Canada looked like a team that suffered a heartbreaking loss the day before, leading them to a slow start for the second straight day.

Canada bounced back, with Dylan Cozens and Pierre-Luc Dubois giving them a 2-1 lead in the third period. However, Erik Karlsson tied the game, before Grundstrom added his second of the game and eventual game winner. Marcus Johansson tacked on an empty netter for the 4-2 victory.

The severity of Guhle's injury is unclear, but it's likely just a precautionary measure. Habs fans will hope it won't hinder his offseason training, as the upcoming campaign is crucial for the Habs defender.