Patrick King

Looks like Swedish netminder Jacob Markstrom might get another crack at Canada.

It's looking like another Canada versus Sweden gold-medal game at this year's International Ice Hockey Federation world junior championship.

Although there is still plenty of hockey left to be played, the dominos are already falling into place and all signs point towards a third consecutive showdown from the newly-formed rivals.

Sweden is in the driver's seat in Pool B after handling the Russians 4-1 on Tuesday. The Swedes need just one point against the Finns in their final round robin game to receive the semi-final berth, which is mostly a formality.

Finland doesn't pose much of a threat to their Scandinavian rivals. Although Finland brought a stronger team than in previous years, they don't have the depth Sweden possesses and it's highly unlikely Sweden will have anything less than a dominant performance with so much on the line.

After defeating the Czech Republic 4-3 on Sunday, the Finns will likely finish third in its pool and return to the quarter-finals after playing in the relegation round a year ago.

There's little doubt the Swedes are the best team in their pool, which was proven in Tuesday's win over Russia. Sweden controlled the pace of the game against the Russians and boasts a more complete team.

Sweden built its team from the goaltender out, and Jacob Markstrom is making amends for a disappointing gold-medal game last year. Markstrom, already a seasoned veteran of the Swedish Elite League, is considered by some the best goaltender in this tournament.

Although Victor Hedman was not made available by the Tampa Bay Lightning, there's plenty of firepower from the back-end. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a highly-skilled defender with uncanny abilities as a power-play quarterback.

The defence is very mobile and creative offensively. David Rundblad (St. Louis) and Tim Erixon (Calgary) were both first-round picks in last summer's National Hockey League draft and both are playing up to their potential.

The offensive attack is headlined by Edmonton Oilers first-rounder, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson. It's almost hard to fathom he's still eligible for another tournament next year, as Paajarvi-Svensson was thrust into the spotlight two years ago as a 16-year-old.

Back-to-back silver-medal finishes should humble the talkative and offensive forward, but none of his teammates are understating the fact they want another crack at the Canadians.

The main difference between Sweden and Russia is in goal. Markstrom made the saves his team needed on Tuesday while his Russian counterpart Igor Bobkov would surely wish to have a few back. Bobkov hasn't played the angles as well as he could on some of the goals and as a result, the Swedes took an early lead and never looked back.

While Russia is always a contender, they are noticeably handicapped by the losses of Dmitry Kulikov, Evgeni Grachev, Andrei Loktionov and Vyacheslav Voinov, who were not made available for the tournament.

The United States are the only team that could throw a chink in Canada's immediate plans. Canada and U.S.A. will meet Thursday in the game that will decide the winner of Pool A, who will then receive a bye to the semi-finals.

This same scenario played itself out in last year's tournament in Ottawa. The Americans jumped out to a surprising 3-0 lead in the first period before eventual first-overall pick, John Tavares, essentially stole the show and single-handedly carried Canada to the win. Canada defeated U.S.A. 7-4 and used the semi-final berth as a springboard to its fifth gold-medal victory.

There's always a little extra on the line when the Canadians meet the Americans and both teams boast an identical 3-0 record in round robin play.

The game will revolve around American goaltender Jack Campbell, who is anticipated to get the start. Campbell shutout Switzerland in his only game of the tournament so far, and is making a case to be drafted in the top 10 of this summer's NHL draft.

Since the Americans don't have the same depth as the Canadians, Campbell or the team's other goaltender, Mike Lee, will be crucial in determining the outcome of the game. U.S.A. has some high-end talent on its roster, most notably defenceman Cam Fowler and forward Jordan Schroeder, but may not have the same depth as in previous tournaments.

If the Americans starting goaltender can frustrate the Canadians, it could go a long way in providing an upset. Otherwise, it's likely that the Canadians receive the bye to the semis.

The fact remains, there is a noticeable discrepancy between the top teams and the next level, and Canada and Sweden are at the top once again.

Both teams appear poised to receive a bye to the semi-finals, at which point their paths will be intertwined towards another gold-medal game.

The two have the deepest teams and barring an upset along the way, this year's tournament final is looking like a repeat of the previous two.