<p>The United States have managed to survive an intense back-and-forth affair to beat Czechia 4-3 in the shootout in one of the best games of the 2024 World Junior Championship.</p>



<p>Isaac Howard scored the final goal in overtime, beating Michael Hrabal down low after Gabriel Perreault scored earlier to extend the shootout past five players.</p>



<p>The win keeps the United States in second place in Group B with eight points, while Czechia holds third place with four.</p>



<p>The Americans will get Saturday off to prepare for their game against Slovakia at 6:00 AM ET on Sunday, the final round-robin game for both teams. USA will need to win that game to secure top spot in the group. The Czechs will play in the late game in Group B that day, fighting Switzerland at 11:00 AM ET on Dec. 31.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="139"></div>



<p>The Americans started off hot, with Isaac Howard taking a Frank Nazar feed to make it 1-0 at 1:12. But the Czechs would take the lead after 26 minutes of play, with Jackub Stancl and Adam Bares giving them the advantage. The game swayed like a pendulum from there. Will Smith answered back at 28:04, with Robin Sapousek giving the Czechs the 3-2 advantage at 31:47. The score remained that way until Ryan Chesley tied it up at 34:11, the goal that forced overtime.</p>



<p>The two teams traded chances early in the extra frame, but they needed overtime to find the winner. Jiri Kulich scored the lone goal for the Czechs, while Gabe Perreault and Howard scored for the United States to cap off the victory.</p>



<p>Here’s a look at the top players from both teams:</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="136"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">USA</h2>



<p><strong>#91 Frank Nazar, C (Chicago Blackhawks):</strong> Nazar kicked things off by setting up Howard’s goal at 1:12, and then drew a penalty a few minutes later on another dangerous scoring chance. After a four-assist effort against the Swiss on Thursday, Nazar has emerged as the tournament’s most dangerous setup man – and he knows how to score, given he had a hat-trick at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Don’t give him an opportunity to make things happen.</p>



<p><strong>#6 Will Smith, C (San Jose Sharks): </strong>Smith did a great of getting to the net, as he does, and capitalized on Ryan Leonard’s pass to make it 2-2 in the second. That line knows a thing or two about dominating together, and all three had a touch on that second goal. Smith, though, made some other impressive passes and back-checked as hard as I’ve seen him in this tournament, especially in the second period.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="152"></div>



<p><strong>#22 Isaac Howard, LW (Tampa Bay Lightning): </strong>Howard scored the opening goal just over a minute into the game and led all Americans with four shots in the first two periods of play. Every time he hit the ice, he was pushing the play and trying to create something, as we’ve seen him do so well in college this year. The shootout winner had to feel good, too. He hasn’t had an off-game in this tournament yet, and the shootout.</p>



<p><strong>#20 Lane Hutson, D (Montreal Canadiens):</strong> I thought this was Hutson’s best game in an otherwise average tournament for the young star. He moved the puck well and helped create Chesley’s goal from around the goal line. At times, it feels like he’s trying to hold himself back instead of doing the usual offensive shenanigans that make him so successful in college. He’s a better defensive player than he was a year ago, for sure. Hopefully, today’s game helps unlock his offensive touch.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="163"></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-czechia">Czechia</h2>



<p><strong>#12 Dominik Rymon, LW (Undrafted):</strong> Rymon isn’t big at 5-foot-9, but he has the motor to make things happen. After losing the puck on a rush early in the game, he got behind the goal line and set up Jakub Stancl’s 1-0 goal to make it 1-0. Rymon’s energy has been noticeable in Czechia’s top six, making him valuable even when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick.</p>



<p><strong>#28 Eduard Sale, LW (Seattle Kraken): </strong>After a hat trick on Thursday, Sale set up the 3-2 goal that briefly gave the Czechs the lead. He and Sapousek seemed to have some good chemistry, both bringing some energy and strength to the second line. It seems like he gained the confidence needed after a difficult first game, and that means danger to any team Czechia comes across in the quarterfinal.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="139"></div>



<p><strong>#25 Jiri Kulich, RW (Buffalo Sabres): </strong>Kulich was buzzing all game, especially in the second when he had a pair of good scoring chances. He was drawing defenders away from the net, but also getting near the crease often, too. Kulich scored in the shootout, but nothing in the 65 minutes of game action. It was a good effort, regardless.</p>



<p><strong>#30 Michael Hrabal, G (Arizona Coyotes): </strong>Hrabal got off to a rough start with a goal against on the first shot. There wasn’t much he could do on the back and forth in the second, but he came up big with solid stops as the Americans put on the pressure in the third. Hrabal had to make a big save just seconds into overtime, which then resulted in a scoring chance by the Czechs shortly after.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="136"></div>



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