Two darkish horses will kick off the Males’s Olympic Hockey Event in Milan on Wednesday morning (10 a.m. ET).
Slovakia, which is 65/1 to win the Gold Medal, is a +325 underdog towards Finland, which is the fourth-favorite to win the match at 11/1.
The winner of this recreation will fancy its probabilities to earn a bye into the quarterfinals as both the winner of Group B, which additionally options Sweden and Italy, or as the perfect second-place finisher within the preliminary spherical.
Slovakia vs. Finland odds, prediction
Finland’s inventory has dropped within the worldwide circuit not too long ago.
Suomi had been a disappointment eventually 12 months’s 4 Nations Face-Off, and so they adopted that up with a poor displaying on the 2025 IIHF World Championships.
There may be loads of star energy on this roster, however the issue is that the Finns are unbalanced. The ahead corps is terrific, however the protection lags behind the three heavyweights on this match. Miro Heiskanen does present Finland with a real No. 1 rearguard, however the depth is a priority.
The goaltending can be a query mark, as Juuse Saros has struggled to seek out his type over the previous two years for the Nashville Predators.
The excellent news for the Finns is that their scoring upside, which is powered by Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, and Roope Hintz, might simply present cowl for some defensive flaws, and Finland has a real checking line with Anton Lundell in between Eetu Luostarinen and Kaapo Kakko.
That mentioned, the margins will simply be quite a bit thinner for Finland in comparison with the likes of Canada, Crew USA, and Sweden.
That makes Slovakia a harmful underdog.
We’re nicely past the golden period of Slovakian hockey that gifted us Zdeno Chara, Peter Bondra, Ziggy Palffy, Marian Hossa, Pavol Demitra, Lubomir Visnovsky, and Miroslav Devil (the workforce’s present normal supervisor), however Slovakia has began to piece issues again collectively. The nation has produced some immense younger abilities like Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec, the highest two picks within the 2022 NHL Draft, however it is a workforce that can should be higher than the sum of its components.
Slafkovsky will should be a drive up entrance with former NHLers Tomas Tatar and Adam Ruzicka, and Nemec will play an enormous function on a blueline that options simply two different present NHLers, albeit very competent ones in Erik Cernak and Martin Fehervary.
The wild card on this recreation can be Slovak goaltender Samuel Hlavaj. At the moment plying his commerce for Minnesota’s AHL workforce in Iowa, Hlavaj has a popularity as a game-stealer on the worldwide stage. He was immense for Slovakia throughout qualification, and might want to carry that type into this match for this workforce to face an opportunity.
Betting on the NHL?
A recreation or two into the match, this handicap would look a bit of totally different. However this isn’t solely Sport 1 for each of those groups, but in addition the curtain-raiser for the competitors. That brings with it loads of volatility, as we simply can’t be too positive how this match, the primary to function NHL gamers since 2014, will play out.
Furthermore, Finland’s efficiency on the 4 Nations and a sleepy displaying on the 2025 World Championships don’t encourage confidence, particularly because you’re being requested to put some critical juice towards a pesky aspect.
There’s a danger that Finland’s expertise simply proves an excessive amount of for Slovakia, however we’ll take a shot on the underdog to get this match began with a bang.
The Play: Slovakia +325 (BetMGM)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, however a long-profiting sports activities bettor with 10 years of expertise within the playing business. He loves utilizing recreation concept to assist punters win bracket swimming pools, discover lengthy photographs, and discover ways to beat the market in mainstream and area of interest sports activities.
