Team Belarus battled hard to lose 2-3 in the shootout to Finland at the ongoing IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic on 11 May. Yevgeny Kovyrshin and Alexei Kalyuzhny scored for Belarus. Finland got goals from Esa Lindell, Teemu Hartikainen, and Jussi Jokinen. Belarus got one point to shore up its position in Group B: United States – 15 points (6 games played), Russia – 14 (6), Finland – 14 (6), Belarus – 11 (6), Slovakia – 8 (6), Norway – 6 (6), Denmark – 4 (6), and Slovenia – 0 (6). Belarus needs at least 1 point in the game against Norway to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinal.
       Group A standings are as follows: Canada – 18 (6), Sweden – 16 (7), Czech Republic – 13 (6), Switzerland – 9 (6), Germany – 7 (7), Austria – 5 (6), Latvia – 4 (6), France – 3 (6).
Four best teams in each group will advance into the IIHF World Championship quarterfinal. The quarterfinal games are scheduled for 14 May in Ostrava and Prague. Prague O2 Arena will host the semifinals on 16 May and the medal games on 17 May.