NHL
Andrew Rogers
May 13, 2019

Canada vs. Slovakia Prediction: 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship Odds

Nothing helps an elite team get right than a game against an inferior opponent – and the timing couldn’t have been better for Canada, which will look to follow up a terrific effort Sunday against host Slovakia in IIHF World Hockey Championship play Monday evening. The Canadians fell 3-1 to Finland in their tournament opener, but bounced back in a big way with an 8-0 drubbing of Great Britain. Slovakia is also 1-1, having beaten the U.S. before losing to Finland.

2019 IIHF World Hockey Championship Betting

Monday marks the third straight time Canada has been a heavy favourite – but bettors should be wary of putting too much stock in a Canadian side that showed little punch in its tournament opener. Both teams have already lost to the Finns, but while Canada didn’t have to put up much of a fight in its win over Great Britain, the Slovaks dominate the Americans in their opener, winning 4-1 while finishing with a 36-26 edge in the shot department.

Team Canada

After opening with a 3-1 setback, the need for a momentum-building win was high – and Canada achieved its goal with a truly dominant showing against a Great Britain side playing in the highest level of the world hockey championship for the first time since 1994. The Canadians scored twice in the first period, twice more in the second and piled on four more goals in the third period while finishing with an astronomical 56-12 advantage in shots.

Perhaps most significantly, the victory was a true team effort, with six different players lighting the lamp. Kyle Turris and Anthony Mantha both scored twice, while Dylan Strome, Dante Fabbro, Mathieu Joseph and Sean Couturier added goals in the rout. Mantha added three assists to instantly move into a tie for the tournament scoring lead with five points. Goaltender Carter Hart wasn’t busy but did manage to preserve the shutout.

Team Slovakia

Having the home crowd on their side certainly didn’t hurt Slovakia’s effort against the U.S., as they rolled to victory behind goals from Matus Sukel, Erik Cernak, Tomas Tatar and Michal Kristof. Tatar, a winger for the Montreal Canadiens, has the most NHL experience on the team; other NHL skaters include defenceman Andrej Sekera of the Edmonton Oilers, Richard Panik of the Arizona Coyotes and Martin Marincin of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Goaltending, on the other hand, could be an issue as the tournament goes along. Veteran netminder Marek Ciliak was terrific in the Czech League this season, but struggled mightily during his KHL stint with Bratislava Slovan. The team’s other netminder, Patrik Rybar, posted a 2.49 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Neither one has played an NHL game.