The Ice Hockey World Championship is staged in a country neighbouring Germany, which means a short trip for German supporters and a large travelling contingent in the stands. Two preliminary groups feed into the quarter finals, so every group game already shapes seeding, and the tournament stretches over several weeks with heavy television coverage in German speaking markets.
Squad quality depends on which NHL players become available once their clubs are eliminated, and late arrivals can reorder the field midway through. Beyond that, the wider European ice, a tight run of fixtures and goaltending form tend to decide knockout games, which is where most of the prediction interest sits.
Ice hockey is low scoring and heavily goaltender driven, so one hot performance can decide a night regardless of shot counts. Special teams, the power play and penalty kill, swing tight games, and the empty net finish distorts final margins. Overtime and shootout rules mean regulation result and full time result are different questions. Interest usually sits on the puck line, the goal total, and whether the game ends inside sixty minutes.
Add the event to your calendar to keep the start time as the schedule is confirmed. Kick-off times are checked against the official schedule every week, so this page follows any change.