One thing I learned today about the hockey this time around is that all the teams make the qualification round, seeded 1-12 after the round robin. The top 4 teams get byes to the quarterfinals. Seed order is determined by the following parameters, in order of importance: - Standing in the group - Number of points - Goal differential - Goals scored - IIHF ranking So, after the first round of games, here are the standings: 1. Canada (GD 8) 2. Russia (GD 6) 3. Finland (GD 4) 4. USA (IIHF #5) 5. Czech Republic (IIHF #6, 3 GS) 6. Sweden (2 GS) 7. Switzerland (IIHF #7) 8. Slovakia (IIHF #9, 1 GS) 9. Germany (0 GS) 10. Belarus (GD -4) 11. Latvia (GD -6) 12. Norway (GD -8) So, it's important for the US team to score as many goals as possible here, and play Canada as close as possible next game in order to grab that 4 seed.