Even before the start of this championship, the United States was considered as the main favorite, since it brought an experienced squad with good players. Americans confirm their status from match to match. They were defeated only in the opening match against Russia (3:5), but then developed the streak to four victories. Recall that Nate Liman’s wards dealt with Sweden in the last meeting of the group stage (4:0), while in the playoffs they won over Slovakia with a score of 5:2. Despite the score against the Slovaks, the game turned out to be difficult and energy-intensive, but still the class of the Americans turned out to be higher. By the way, most attacks are built through Trevor Zegras. This young talent has already completed six goals and nine assists.
Dallas had a good last season, but the team clearly lacked the truth. In the offseason there was no special strengthening and Porzingis’s injury puts the Mavericks’ chances in this into a big question. There are no bright stars in the team, but dedication and discipline are their main trump cards, although this is hardly enough to get into the playoffs and it is clearly impossible to beat the real giants of the league. Dallas are currently in 11th place in the Western Conference and do not look like a very powerful force in the league.
