Andrew Rogers
May 19, 2018

Canada vs. Switzerland: World Hockey Championship Semifinal Odds, Prediction

The Canadian team look to reach the final of the IIHF World Hockey Championship for a fourth consecutive year as they face upstart Switzerland at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Swiss upset Finland 3-2 in the quarterfinals as it seeks its first-ever world title.

World Hockey Championship Odds and Betting Analysis

Sports Interaction has Canada as a heavy favourite in this one – but bettors beware, as the Canadian Olympic team found itself facing similar odds heading into a semifinal showdown with Germany – a game the Canadians dropped 4-3 in what qualified as a shocker. But the world championship edition is a much stronger unit, one that has reeled off three straight wins since a 5-1 loss to the Finns – though two of those victories came by a single goal.

The Swiss overcame losses to Sweden and Russia – games in which they asserted themselves well – with a one-sided win over France and a stunning victory over a Finland team considered one of the gold-medal favourites. The Swiss have two silver medals and eight bronze medals in the history of the world championship, but haven’t reached the podium since dropping a 5-1 decision to Sweden in the 2013 final in Stockholm.

Team Canada

The Canadians might be fortunate to be in the semifinals after needing overtime to upend the powerhouse Russians 5-4 in overtime in the quarterfinals – but when you have one of the best players on the planet on your roster, you’re in good shape. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid leads Canada and ranks third in the tournament in scoring with 16 points in eight games, and set up Ryan O’Reilly’s OT winner against the Russians to send Canada through.

Team Switzerland

The Swiss don’t possess the same calibre of firepower as the Canadians – only Enzo Corvi and Nino Niederreiter are averaging better than a point per game so far – but they could make some noise with the man advantage. Switzerland ranks fifth in the tournament in power-play success rate at 27.6 percent – better than Canada, which ranks seventh. But the Canadians will likely be equal to the task, owning the best penalty-kill rate in the tournament (92.3 percent).