For junior hockey fans, Christmas comes on Dec. 26.
That's the annual start date of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, with this year's tournament set to be played in Buffalo, N.Y., for the second time since 2011.
The host Americans enter the tournament as reigning champions following a shootout win over rival Canada in Montreal, with Russia finishing third in 2017.
Here are three things you need to know before the puck drops:
The format
The tournament will be played at KeyBank Center (home of the NHL's Sabres), the smaller and nearby HarborCenter, and New Era Field (home of the NFL's Bills), which will serve as the venue for the first outdoor game in the history of the tournament.
The 10 participating nations have been divided into the following two groups:
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| United States (USA) | Russia (RUS) |
| Canada (CAN) | Sweden (SWE) |
| Denmark (DEN) | Czech Republic (CZE) |
| Slovakia (SVK) | Switzerland (SUI) |
| Finland (FIN) | Belarus (BLR) |
In the group stage, every country will play one game against each of the other four in its group, earning points as follows:
- Three points for the winning team at the conclusion of regulation time.
- One point for both teams at the conclusion of regulation time if the game is tied.
- An additional point earned for the team winning the game in a five-minute overtime period or a shootout if the teams are still tied following conclusion of the overtime period.
- 0 points for the team losing the game in regulation time.
The top four teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the quarterfinals and be matched up as follows: 1A-4B, 2A-3B, 1B-4A, 2B-3A. The playoff round will be single elimination, with the gold- and bronze-medal matches scheduled for Jan. 5 at KeyBank Center.
The fifth-place teams, meanwhile, will play a best-of-three mini-series beginning Jan. 2 to determine which country will be relegated.
The favorites
The host Americans - featuring the likes of Casey Mittelstadt, Brady Tkachuk, and Quinn Hughes - begin the tournament as reigning champions and remain the favorites to win this time around.
USA, it should be noted, has earned only a single bronze in five previous tournaments on home soil.
The Canadian squad - backed by these high-end talents - will no doubt have plenty of support, considering Buffalo's proximity to the border, and it should come as no surprise that they come in next on the list.
To add some extra spice, both 2017 finalists have a decent amount of returnees.
Sweden, Finland, and Russia all feature players that must be watched, and the trio of typically strong entrants round out the top five.
Here's a look at each country's odds, according to Bodog:
| Country | Odds |
|---|---|
| USA | +125 |
| Canada | +160 |
| Sweden | +550 |
| Finland | +650 |
| Russia | +650 |
| Czech Republic | +2000 |
| Slovakia | +7500 |
| Switzerland | +7500 |
| Denmark | +25000 |
| Belarus | +30000 |
The fan guide
The playoff round is obviously appointment viewing, but the group stage - running from Dec. 26-31 - has its fair share of must-see matches.
- Canada vs. Finland, Dec. 26, 4 p.m. ET
- Canada vs. USA, Dec. 29, 3 p.m. ET (from New Era Field)
- USA vs. Finland, Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET
- Russia vs. Sweden, Dec. 31, 8 p.m. ET
The last game on that list features the likely top two draft picks at the 2018 NHL Draft, namely Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov.
There'll likely be a handful of holiday surprises along the way, but finally, here are three predictions.
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