A year ago, Switzerland lost the gold medal game against Sweden in a dramatic shootout. This will not happen again. As of this season, the gold medal game at the IIHF Worlds will be decided by a three-on-three sudden-death overtime (additional 20-minute-periods).
Moreover, there will be a new seeding format for the semi-finals. In the semis, the pairings will no longer be formed by a classic playoff tree, but based on the overall ranking, as we already know it from the Swiss playoffs: the top-ranked team from the preliminary round will face the team with the lowest ranking.
In order to form the pairings of the semifinals, the criteria are
1) Ranking in the group stage
2) Number of points
3) Goal difference
4) Number of goals scored
5) Seeding at the beginning of the tournament
