USA vs. Slovakia Semifinal Odds: Men’s Olympic Hockey Preview and Prediction
The 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament has reached the semifinals, and a pair of intriguing matchups await on Friday. Finland battles Canada in the first matchup of the day, with Slovakia taking on the USA in the afternoon.
Team USA advanced to the semifinals thrillingly on Wednesday, as Quinn Hughes netted the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Americans a 2-1 victory. Team Slovakia advanced to the semifinals following a convincing 6-2 win over Germany.
Those wins set the table for an interesting semifinal matchup on Friday, with a trip to the gold medal game on the line.
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USA vs. Slovakia Olympic men’s ice hockey odds and betting trends
Team USA entered this tournament with the second-shortest odds to win gold, and that is where they sit entering the semifinals. However, Team USA’s gold medal odds have gone from +175 when the tournament began to +115 entering this semifinal matchup against Slovakia.
On the other side, Slovakia began the tournament in the No. 7 spot on the gold medal odds board at +6500. Now with odds of +3500, the Slovaks have the longest gold medal odds of the final four teams remaining in the tournament.
The Americans have been heavy favourites in each game of this tournament, which is the case again. Team USA has odds of -800 on the moneyline, while Slovakia is +550 to pull off a major upset. When it comes to the puckline, USA -2.5 has a -155 price, while Slovakia +2.5 carries a price of +130. The total is 5.5 with the Over sitting at -135 and the Under hovering at +114.
USA
Team USA took care of business in group play by winning each game by at least three goals. Things got a little dicey in the quarterfinals against Sweden, but USA’s gutsy 2-1 overtime win shows they can win in a variety of ways in this tournament. Instead of relying on elite scoring depth, the Americans were more physical and gritty against the Swedes. Charlie McAvoy was a hitting machine, and multiple players were sacrificing their bodies blocking shots left and right. Team USA held a Sweden team full of NHL stars off the board for the first 58 minutes of the game, and is now set to face a Slovakia team that doesn’t boast the same NHL firepower.
Connor Hellebuyck has been sensational between the pipes, as he’s allowed just a single goal in each of the three games he’s played. His 0.98 goals-against average and .958 save percentage are both tournament bests, and with the way he is rolling right now, he gives the Americans plenty of confidence heading into the semifinals.
Despite a tough offensive game against Sweden, the Americans are still plenty capable of lighting the lamp early and often in this contest. All four lines are extremely dangerous, and Team USA possesses two of the best offensive defencemen in the world in Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski. The USA’s well-rounded forward group and elite defencemen give Team Slovakia plenty to worry about in this matchup.
Slovakia
Team Slovakia has put forth an impressive showing in this tournament thus far. They set the tone early, pulling off an eye-opening 4-1 upset over Finland in the tournament’s first game. Juraj Slafkovsky continues to turn heads on the world stage, as he is among the tournament’s scoring leaders with seven points on three goals and four assists.
There’s no doubt that Slafkovsky will need to continue his greatness if Slovakia wants to pull off the upset. Slovakia’s forward group lacks NHL talent beyond the first line, and while Erik Cernak and Martin Fehervary are strong NHL defencemen, they don’t have the same offensive ceiling as Hughes and Werenski for Team USA.
Goaltender Samuel Hlavac has been great for Slovakia in this tournament, but this matchup against Team USA is by far and away his toughest challenge yet. Plus, the Americans are coming off a tough offensive game against Sweden, which means they may have a little extra fire in their game for this one.
Olympics Prediction: Who will win USA vs. Slovakia?
Team USA had a tough draw against Sweden in the quarterfinals, but they have a much more favourable matchup in this one. The offensive firepower of Team USA is simply too overwhelming for Slovakia to keep up with, and Hellebuyck is in a major groove between the pipes, which presents plenty of problems for Slovakia’s offensive attack.
After such a nail-biting win against Sweden, I expect Team USA to win this game more handily. My prediction is for Team USA to win 5-2.