Men’s Olympic Hockey Odds, Preview, Best Bet
Two dark horses will set off Men’s Olympic Hockey Championship in Milan on Wednesday morning (10 a.m. ET).
Slovakia, who won the gold medal at 65/1, are +325 underdogs to Finland, and are fourth favorites to win the tournament at 11/1.
The winner of this match will have the opportunity to advance to the quarter-finals either as the winner of Group B, which also includes Sweden and Italy, or as the best runner-up in the preliminary round.
Slovakia vs Finland, odds, prediction
Finland’s stock has fallen in the international arena recently.
Suomi was disappointing in the 4 Nations Face Off last year, and followed that up with a poor performance at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
There are a lot of stars on this list, but the problem is that the Finns are unbalanced. The offense is great, but the defense lags behind the big three in this tournament. Miro Heiskanen provides Finland with a true No. 1 backline, but the depth is a concern.
Goaltending is also a question mark, as Jose Saros has struggled to find his form over the past two years for the Nashville Predators.
The good news for the Finns is that their goalscoring style, supported by Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz, can easily provide cover for some defensive flaws, and Finland have a real checking line with Anton Lundell between Eto Luostarinen and Kaapo Kakko.
However, the margins will be much lower for Finland compared to countries like Canada, Team USA and Sweden.
This makes Slovakia a dangerously vulnerable country.
We have passed the golden era of Slovak hockey that gave us Zdeno Chara, Petr Bondra, Zigi Pálfi, Marian Hossa, Pavol Dimitra, Lubomir Visnovski and Miroslav Satan (the team’s current general manager), but Slovakia is starting to get things right. The country has produced some tremendous young talent like Juraj Slavkovski and Simon Nemec, the top two picks in the 2022 NHL Draft, but this is a team that has to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Slavkovski will need to be an offensive force with former NHL players Tomas Tatar and Adam Rusicka, and Nemec will play a huge role on a blue line that features only two current, albeit highly competent, NHL players in Erik Cernak and Martin Fehervari.
The wild card in this match will be Slovakian goalkeeper Samuel Hlavaj. Currently plying his trade with AHL team Minnesota in Iowa, Hlavage has a reputation as a play-stealer on the international stage. He was impressive for Slovakia during the qualifiers, and he will need to maintain that form in this tournament for this team to stand a chance.
Betting on the NHL?
After a tournament game or two, that hurdle will look a little different. But this is not only the first match for both teams, it is also the beginning of the rivalry. This brings with it a lot of fluctuations, as we cannot be completely sure how this tournament, the first to be offered, will be organised NHL players Since 2014, you will be playing it.
Furthermore, Finland’s performance at the European Championships and their quiet showing at the 2025 World Championships do not inspire confidence, especially since you are being asked to provide some serious juice against a pesky team.
There is a risk that Finland’s talent will prove too much for Slovakia, but we will target the underdog to start this tournament strong.
The play: Slovakia +325 (BetMGM)
Why trust the New York Post to bet
Michael LeBoeuf is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-time profitable sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help gamblers win pots, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
