Germany? The Top-Teams has now some NHL-Stars in their team. This is the big different to Olympics. Germany could be happy if they reach the QF.
They made the QF in 2017 and lost 2-1 to Canada.
They beat Sweden and Canada in the Olympics and lost 4-3 in OT to OARussia. Notably Sweden, Finland, and Russian leagues took significant breaks (Russia 33 day break I think). No NHLers, but all of the best European league players. Am I wrong?
I'm interested to see how this German team plays all things considered. I agree they should be extremely pleased to reach QF. I wonder if confidence, puck-luck, and a bit of momentum and pride give them any boost. They seem to have graduated above the bottom-feeders, but clearly stuck below the murderous top teams.