The Czech team, led by forwards Martin Necas and David Pastrnak, acknowledges the challenge but remains confident. Necas called the rematch 'fantastic,' joking they 'let them win the first one,' while Pastrnak emphasized the need to put respect aside and compete aggressively.
With Canada as the top seed and Czechia the lowest seed in the quarterfinals, the game is scheduled for Thursday at 10:40 a.m. ET. This marks the first Canada-Czechia men's hockey playoff matchup with NHL players since 1998, when Czechia prevailed 2-1.