Oh boy, the WJC is about to get really exciting! After every team having played their 12 games, this is how the eight teams performed: 

1. DACH | 25 points | +6  
2. Sweden | 22 points | +3
3. United States | 19 points | +6
4. Brirish Islands | 19 points | +2
5. UCORCAL | 18 points | -4
6. Finland | 16 points | -4
7. Canada | 14 points | -2
8. World | 11 points | -7

Despite DACH and Sweden having the lowest average TPE in the WJC, they ended up as the top two nations battling out for a first place!


This also lands us with a playoff bracket looking like this:

DCH (1)  vs WOR (8)
SWE (2) vs CAN (7)
USA (3) vs FIN (6)
BRI (4) vs RCL (5)

Notice how all groups are actually still intact.


How these playoffs will end up you ask? Well first we need to do some investigating in the teams! 

DCH vs WOR
Starting with the first playoff game, DCH vs WOR. DACH has just kept on playing better and better the longer the WJC has been going on while the opposite can be said for World. DACH is coming into playoffs having struck two wins against World and one win against Sweden the last sim. This landed them in first place and landed them against the so far worst performing team of World. For World, not a lot is speaking in their favour right now. It is definitely possible they can figure out some counter after having faced and lost twice against DACH now, but the odds are indeed stacked against them. World has been struggling a lot this tournament and will probably put up a real fight in their most important game so far.
DCH vs WOR prediction:
DACH is simply too good this year to lose now. Being matched against World is a great matchup for them as they already know how they play and how well it has already worked. World got their worst nightmare and I only see one outcome. DACH will win this, but I think World will at least put up a good fight. I will predict a result of 4-2 to DACH.

SWE vs CAN
Oh boy. Sweden has been playing great this tournament but got matched with nightmare opponent Canada. Let's review Sweden first. Last sim they started off by losing against Canada in a crushing defeat and then also losing against DACH missing the first spot. They are coming into playoffs with a bad streak and not looking too hot. Meanwhile Canada managed to rise up from last place and got the dream opponent Sweden. So far, out of the 4 games played Canada has taken 8/12 points against Sweden. Winning games for 3 points each and an OT win for the last 2. This could go anyway but Canada is no doubt favoured.
SWE vs CAN prediction:
Sweden has been playing well but slumping towards the end while Canada has been been on the rise. Add to that how well Canada has been playing against Sweden and the answer is clear in my mind. I do however think it will be another close game and I predict a result of 4-3 to Canada after OT.

USA vs FIN
USA. Wow. What an end of the round robin games for them. For a long time they were looking really shaky but ended up taking #1 in group A as well as #3 overall. Now they are looking really scary going into playoffs. In addition to that, I am sorry Finland. The opposite story for the USA is the one for Finland. Starting off strongly and being in the top of group A while also playing really well and now not having that same energy anymore. This game is a tough one for Finland. 
USA vs FIN prediction:
USA have been playing really well and there is little doubt in my mind they will lose this. There is always the chance for upsets and Finland has already show what they can do so they have not lost before the game has ended. As for my prediction, I will say that USA takes this game 3-1.

BRI vs RCL
And for the game that should be the most evenly matched. British Islands vs UCORCAL. Frankly, I have no idea how this will end. UCORCAL is supposed to be the better team regarding players however British Islands are not filled with bad players but rather quite good players as well. The one thing that is different between the two teams quite a bit is their form going into playoffs. British Islands are peaking and UCORCAL is taking a dive straight down. I think this will be the downfall of UCORCAL.
BRI vs RCL prediction:
Difficult game, difficult to guess. UCORCAL has been real tough not scoring a lot and not giving away many goals. I therefore think this will end in few goals and possibly OT. For my final prediction I will say that British Islands will win 2-1 after OT.

For a final discussion I will end with likely candidates for the WJC gold. All top teams should probably be included here. DACH, Sweden, USA and British Islands. However I predicted a loss for Sweden which means they are out. UCORCAL could probably grab a win from British Islands as well which lands me to think that the gold will be going to either DACH or USA. 

And there you have it! A small guide to WJC quarterfinals and a bit more. I do not take responsibility for any jinxes, successes or other kinds of possible things I might be blamed for. I am pretty confident in that my predictions will strike right, at least if you do not include the results. It will however be quite an anxious first day of playoffs as four teams will actually be gone in just a few hours. The clock is ticking, preparations are being made and updates are being sent. Good luck to all WJC participants and may the best team win!