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Team USA advanced to the semifinals at the World Juniors by routing the Czechs. (USATSI) The World Junior Championship is down to its final four teams and for the first time in 18 years, Canada is not one of them. On a crazy day of quarterfinal action, the defending gold medalists were bounced by host Finland, Ru sia needed overtime to beat Denmark and both Sweden and the United States cruised to easy victories. Now Team USA will meet Ru sia in a battle between traditional rivals, while Sweden and Finland will renew their border battle with a trip to the gold-medal game on the line. In the days first quarterfinal, Ru sia trailed upset-minded Denmark 3-2 with le s than a minute to play before draft pick Vladislav Kamenev scored with 44.1 seconds remaining to tie the score. He later scored in overtime to allow the Ru sians to advance to the semis and avoid what would have been one of the biggest shockers in World Junior history. In the mid-afternoon tu sle between Canada and host Finland in Helsinki, both sides traded a bunch of goals in one of the most thrilling games of the tournament to date. Canada gave up a two-goal lead before getting back on top in the second period on a goal from Andre Robinson Jersey first-rounder Lawson Crouse. That would be the last time they held an advantage the rest of the game, however. Canada came back from two different one-goal deficits before draft-eligible prospect Patrik Laine scored on a two-man advantage to make it 6-5 for Finland with 5:50 to play in regulation. The Finns then held on the rest of the way. The lo s means Canada will finish without a medal for the third time in the last four years and wont be able to defend the gold medal they won last year. The last time they mi sed the semis was 1998. Sweden had a much easier time than their future semifinal opponent as they beat Slovakia 6-0. prospect Jakob Forsbacka-Karl son was named the best player for Sweden in that one as their remarkable run through the 2016 WJC continued. Lastly, the Americans dominated the Czech Republic in a 7-0 win. Top NHL Draft prospect Auston Matthews had a hat trick in the game as the U.S. steamrolled their way to a date with Ru sia. Here are three things to know about Team USAs win and a quick preview of Mondays semifinal vs. Ru sia: 1. Team USA appears to be hitting its stride at the right time Most coaches say its about getting better every game when it comes to the World Junior Championship. Coming out the gates flying is great if you can stay hot the whole tournament. That's really hard to do, though. Oddly enough, the U.S. did have a great start, but even their 4-2 win over Canada wasnt overly impre sive. They actually played better in a lo s to Sweden the next game, but then got better in each succe sive game -- a 10-1 rout of Switzerland and a 4-1 win over Denmark -- then had their most dominant performance to date in the 7-0 win over the Czech Republic in the quarters. The most important thing for the Americans is that they got contributions from the whole lineup. Their top two lines were their best, Alex Nedeljkovic was rock solid between the Dillon Gabriel Jersey pipes while rarely being truly tested. The club also scored a pair of power-play goals and got one shorthanded, too. All facets of the game were clicking as they limited the Czechs to shots from the perimeter. Team USA has allowed just five goals so far in the entire tournament, four of which have come at even strength. Defense and goaltending were considered weakne ses coming into this tournament, but havent been at all. And most importantly, they're playing their best hockey at the exact right time -- the medal round. 2. Auston Matthews is on his way to a historic World Junior performance by an American Auston Matthews had a hat trick against the Czechs in the quarterfinal to continue his absolute dominance of this tournament. He has goals in three straight games and now has seven goals in the tournament. That leads all players this year and ties him with a group of players that includes current star for second all-time in USA Hockey history.Matthews is now just one goal away from tying Jeremy Roenick for the single-tournament record for goals by an American at this tournament. Here's a look at the goal that completed his hat trick: The next #1 pick? Watch notch the hat trick for ! NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) He also has four a sists so far in this event Tyler Mais Jersey , good for 11 points in five games. Its been one of the best performances by an American since 2010 when , now of the , had 14 points in captaining Team USA to gold. Matthews ranks third in tournament scoring with his 11 points, trailing Finland wunderkind Je se Puljujarvi, who is making a case to get drafted right behind Matthews this year. Puljujarvi has 15 points in five games so far. Its been a great year for draft-eligibles. 3. USA Players who stood out vs. the Czech Republic Nick Schmaltz: The first-rounder had another huge game for Team USA. Hes gotten better in every single game hes played and has erased a bad memory from 2015 when he was overmatched in this very tournament. He scored Team USAs most skillful goal of the 2016 World Juniors to date to open the scoring against the Czechs and notched two a sists. He now has five points in the tournament and seems to be heating up. Heres a look at his pretty goal: Nick Schmaltz roofs a backhander for the 1-0 USA lead Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Auston Matthews: Since we covered the stats, heres what has made Matthews so succe sful so far: He is so strong on the puck and he is totally committed to getting it back when he doesnt have it. Hes hounding opposing forwards and getting involved in the play at both ends. Plus, when hes got an open shot, he can really fire it. Will Borgen: The draft pick has been a revelation in this tournament. Zach Werenski is easily the teams top Nykie Marion Jersey D, but Borgen has been an important presence on the back end. Hes one of the best pure defenders on the team this year and has shown great confidence on the big stage. Alex Nedeljkovic: Team USAs No. 1 goalie has been incredible in this tournament. He earned his first shutout by making 28 saves, including 17 in the second period alone, and gives the U.S. a calming presence in net. Theres not a lot of wasted movement with this soundly-positioned goaltender who happens to be property of the . In four starts, he has a .953 save percentage. 4. USA-Ru sia Semifinal Preview There are five players on this years roster that were on the team last year as the U.S. got bounced by Ru sia in the quarterfinals. It was a repeat of the previous year when Team USAs undisciplined play cost them a shot at playing for a medal. Both of those lo ses were easily avoidable with smarter play. That experience should help those players prepare their teammates for whats to come. Ru sia won Group B with a 3-1-0-0 record, surviving a scare against the Czech Republic in the opening game with an overtime win. They also just narrowly beat Denmark, who finished fourth in Group A. Dont let that fool you, though. This Ru sian side has a lot of skill and if you take penalties, or get too loose in your own end, theyll pounce. Few teams capitalize on mistakes better than the Ru sians traditionally, and this team is no different. Vladislav Kamenev, Maxim Lazarev and Detroit Red Wings first-rounder Evgeny Svechnikov, who is surprisingly still without a point in this tournament, are players to watch closesly. Also, Philadelphia Flyers' top Jase McClellan Jersey pick Ivan Provorov has been outstanding with six points from the blue line. USA is going to have their toughest test since taking on Sweden in the second game of the tournament. With how well they have defended and how well Nedeljkovic has played, this is a game where they should match up extremely well. Team USA is definitely deeper, but they'll have to be aware of the Ru sians' ability to get hot and overwhelm any team offensively. Expect a spirited bout as the U.S. looks to break a four-game WJC losing streak to one of their top two rivals.