Canada vs. Switzerland Men’s Olympic Hockey: Preliminary Preview, Odds and Prediction
Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team will look to grab sole possession of top spot in Group A when they face Switzerland on Friday at 3:10 p.m. ET from Milan.
Canada and Switzerland both opened their tournaments with shutout victories. The Swiss cruised to a 4-0 win over France in the early game on Thursday, while Team Canada soared past Czechia 5-0 in the middle game.
Canada is a heavy -800 moneyline favourite over Switzerland, with the puckline set at 2.5 and the total pegged at a modest 5.5.
Don’t forget to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of Olympic hockey game odds, Olympic hockey futures and Olympic hockey specials and props.
Canada vs. Switzerland Men’s Olympic Hockey Betting Odds
These nations come in with very different pedigrees at the Olympics. Canada has won a record nine gold medals, including each of the last two Olympics with NHL participation.
On the flip side, Switzerland has only medalled twice at the Olympics, winning bronze in 1928 and 1948.
Still, with the likes of superstars like Roman Josi and Nico Hischier leading the way, the Swiss offer sneaky-good value at +750 to win bronze.
It’s always gold or bust for Canada in international hockey and oddsmakers agree, with Canada sitting as -110 favourite to win the tournament as of Thursday afternoon.
If you’re looking for head-to-head history, Canada and Switzerland have only met at the Olympic three times, all in the preliminary round. Canada won 5-1 in 2018 en route to a bronze medal finish and they scraped by the Swiss 3-2 in a shootout in 2010 when they won gold on home soil in Vancouver.
However, Switzerland struck first in this Olympic head-to-head history, beating Canada 2-0 in 2006, also in Italy. Both teams went on to lose in the quarterfinals.
Team Canada
It went about as well as you could hope against Czechia if you’re a Team Canada fan, with Jordan Binnington making 26 saves for the shutout. The youngest player on the team, 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring late in the first period. Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki also found the back of the net.
Connor McDavid finished with a trio of assists, while Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley each had two helpers. A determined-looking McDavid was all over the ice and got into the game early with a big hit on his first shift. It’s always a good sign when McDavid looks locked in.
Canada’s goaltending question is likely answered with the Binnington shutout, but head coach Jon Copper always intended to start a different goalie against Switzerland, either Logan Thompson, or Darcy Kuemper. My guess would be Thompson, who has the best goals-against average (2.45) and save percentage (.912) among Canada’s three goalies this season.
Team Switzerland
There were no holes in Switzerland’s game as they opened the Olympics with a shutout win over France. Timo Meier finished with two goals, while Damien Riat and J.J. Moser also tickled the twine. Leonardo Genoni, who plays for EV Zug in the top Swiss league, made 27 saves for the shutout.
Meier and Moser are two of 10 Swiss players who are playing in the NHL this season. You can’t overlook this team which includes Josi, a former Norris Trophy winner and Hischier, a consistent 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
The plan for Switzerland is likely to play Akira Schmid against Canada as he is the only goalie on the team currently playing in the NHL. Playing for Vegas, Schmid has done enough to earn a 16-6-6 record this season, however, his 2.53 GAA and .895 SV don’t give confidence that he’ll be able to slow down Canada’s fast-paced, lethal attack,
Canada vs. Switzerland Prediction
Canada: 6, Switzerland: 1
Best bet: Canada Over 4.5 goals (+110). If they can put five past Czechia, they should easily be able to replicate that against a weaker Swiss team.