Canada vs. United States Prediction: 2022 Olympic Men’s Hockey Odds
It’s an all-North American matchup in Beijing as Team Canada prepares to take on Team USA in the preliminary round of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Puck-drop is set to go Friday at 11:10 p.m. EST. Canada got the ball rolling in the tournament with a 5-1 win over Germany in their opening game, while the United States blanked China 8-0.
Team Canada is a -170 favourite to win on the Olympic odds, with a total of 5.5.
Canada vs. United States Olympic Odds and Betting
Canada has a significant edge in the all-time series between these teams, winning 12 of the last 18 meetings, with three ties. The Americans’ last Olympic win against Canada came in the preliminary round of the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Canada would later go on to defeat the United States in the gold medal game. The last Olympic meeting between these teams was a semifinal matchup in 2014. The Canadians won 1-0 on a goal from Jamie Benn and a 31-save shutout from Carey Price.
Team USA’s last win against Canada at any competition was a 5-1 decision in the preliminary round of the 2021 IIHF World Championship. The teams eventually met again in the semifinal of that tournament. Tournament MVP Andrew Mangiapane had two goals in a 4-2 victory and Canada went on to claim the gold medal.
Team Canada
Team Canada started their tournament with a bang against Germany, quite literally, as Eric O’Dell’s crushing hit behind the net led to a power-play goal from Maxim Noreau. O’Dell, who finished the game with two assists, Noreau and Mat Robinson are the only returning players from the 2018 bronze medal winning team. Alex Grant, Ben Street, Daniel Winnik and Jordan Weal also scored against the Germans. Edward Pasquale made 23 saves in net.
One early encouraging sign is the depth scoring Canada received in the opening game. The third line of O’Dell, Street and Kent Johnson banged in two goals, while the fourth line of Winnik, Adam Cracknell and David Desharnais added one. Canada will also see the return of veteran head coach Claude Julien, who broke his ribs during training in Switzerland. Former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton stepped in to take over against Germany, but Julien will reportedly be back behind the bench against the United States.
Team USA
The Americans crushed China in their opener, with 20-year-old Sean Farrell dominating in a five-point effort. Farrell finished with a hat trick and two assists, while Brendan Brisson, Noah Cates, Brian O’Neil, Ben Meyers and Matty Beniers also found the back of the net. Drew Commesso, the 19-year-old goalie from Boston University, made 29 saves for the shutout. The U.S. outshot China 55-29.
The speed and skill of the young American team was on full display in their opening game. That youth factor was a big strategy when picking the roster and it has paid off. Seven of the eight goals against China came from players currently playing in college. Commesso is also the youngest U.S. goaltender to ever play at the Olympics.
Canada vs. United States Score Prediction
Canada 4
USA 2