World Junior Hockey Championship Prediction: Finland vs. Canada

From the moment the World Junior Hockey Championship began, Group A was destined to be decided by Thursday’s matchup between Canada and Finland – and that’s exactly how things have played out as the teams duel in Edmonton to end their respective round-robin schedules. Both teams have rolled to unbeaten starts while outscoring their opponents 44-7 – but Canada is still a significant favourite as it looks to defend its world junior title.

2021 IIHF World Junior Championship Odds

It’s the first game of the tournament where bettors can take Canada on the moneyline and actually make some money – but it’ll still take a sizeable wager. Canada backers looking for a superior option might want to consider the regulation bet, where the tournament hosts are a much more reasonable -200. The teams have split their last two meetings, with Canada having trounced the Finns 5-0 in last year’s semifinal showdown in the Czech Republic.

The total for Thursday’s marquee matchup is set at 5.5, with the Over at -161. Both teams have seen six or more goals scored in two of their first three games of the tournament, with two of Canada’s wins featuring double-digit goals just from the victors. The last two meetings between the clubs have produced five or fewer goals, but they’ve averaged a combined 6.13 goals in their past eight head-to-head meetings at the tournament.

Here’s a look at the Sports Interaction World Junior Hockey Championship odds board.

Team Finland

The Finns will provide Canada with its toughest test to date – and while the Canadian side is still expected to romp, Finland will almost certainly make things difficult on the defensive end. The Finns come in boasting a sparkling 1.33 team goals-against average to go along with a .917 save percentage. On the offensive end, Finland appears to be hitting its stride after crushing Slovakia 6-0 in its previous game; Canada could only muster a 3-1 win over the Slovaks.

Team Canada

Bettors have plenty of reasons to like Canada on the puckline (-161). The Canadians are averaging nearly 10 goals on roughly 40 shots per game so far, and boast 10 players who are averaging at least a point per game. At the other end, they’ve limited the opposition to 16 shots per contest and will be looking to suffocate a Finland attack that has scored just four goals in the last three meetings with Canada dating back to 2017.

Finland vs. Canada World Junior Hockey Prediction

Canada 5, Finland 3