World Junior Hockey Championship Prediction: Switzerland vs. Canada

Andrew Rogers
December 29, 2020

Canada followed up a 16-2 drubbing over Germany with an uninspiring 3-1 win over a Slovakia side it was expected to rout by many more goals. And oddsmakers are expecting another rout Tuesday against winless Switzerland.

2021 IIHF World Junior Championship Odds

The Canadians were given a 5.5-goal puckline against Slovakia and significantly underachieved – but that hasn’t deterred the books from making Canada a heavy favourite yet again. And bettors should pay close attention to the recent history between these clubs at the world juniors; while Canada has won 23 straight meetings while outscoring its Swiss counterpart by a 34-9 margin over the last seven, two of the past three victories have been by a single goal.

Surprising trends also impact the total for this game, which is presently set at a sky-high 7.5 (matching the previous game’s total). Six of the seven meetings between the teams at the world juniors have produced seven or fewer goals, and four of the previous five encounters have seen no more than five goals scored. That includes the last head-to-head showdown between the sides, a narrow 3-2 Canada victory on Dec. 27, 2018.

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

Team Switzerland

The Swiss haven’t put up much of a fight through the first two games of the tournament, producing just one goal. Attilio Biasca opened the scoring for Switzerland 3:44 into their tilt with Finland, but that was all Switzerland could muster on the way to a 4-1 defeat. Simon Knak is the player to monitor for player prop purposes; he leads the team with eight shots on goal and is an intriguing +375 option to score for the Swiss on Tuesday.

Team Canada

Look for more offensive pressure Tuesday from a Canadian team that looked “average” against Slovakia, according to head coach Andre Tourigny. Expect some line shake-ups as Tourigny hopes his team will hit its stride heading into a pivotal Thursday showdown with Finland, a game that will almost certainly determine top spot in Group A. Dylan Cozens leads the team with seven points in two games; he’s a decent pick at -139 to score Tuesday.