Men’s Olympic Hockey Odds, Preview, Best Bet
Team Canada is coming to Winter Olympic Games With the most talented hockey roster ever assembled.
Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and Kyle Makar lead the way, but the depth is what makes this group truly terrifying.
Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Crosby are expected to make up the third line for the Canadiens. This trio would be the No. 1 unit on any team on the planet.
Anything less than a gold medal will be considered a complete failure for this group.
Anything less than a convincing victory over the Czechs in the opening match of the tournament on Thursday morning will be unacceptable.
Canada vs Czech Republic, odds, prediction
It’s easy to see why the Czech Republic is the most popular dark horse in this tournament. There are plenty of NHLers throughout the lineup, and there are a couple of superstars at the top of the lineup.
David Pastrnak is one of the best scorers in the world, Martin Necas has a 98-point lead with the Colorado Avalanche this season, and Tomas Hertl is the true No. 1 between them.
Those three will need to do the heavy lifting offensively for the Czechs, but they have capable players behind them in Ondrej Palat, Radek Faksa, and Ondrej Kaas, as well as a blue line that features plenty of NHL experience.
The Czechs may have an advantage in this match in a crucial area: goalkeeping.
Although Canada is the most skilled team in this area, they suffer from a potential weakness in net.
Jordan Binnington was impressive for the Canadiens in the Four Nations a year ago, and has a reputation as a goaltender in big games, but he’s really struggled for the St. Louis Blues this season, which opens the door to debate about who should start. Ben Pennington, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper.
Betting on the NHL?
From a numbers perspective, the answer would be Thompson, but Canada appears poised to benefit from Binnington’s experience.
The goalkeeping situation in Czechia is much less complicated. Lukas Dostal will almost certainly receive the invite, and he has every chance of being the match-stealer for the Czechs in this tournament.
Dostal has been perfect behind some poor defensive teams in Southern California over the past few years, and he will need to bring that form with him to Milan on Thursday as he will be under siege from the opening whistle.
What’s particularly concerning for the Czechs is what happens when Pastrnak, Necas and Hertl go off the ice. Even if this trio wins his minutes, it will likely not be enough to compensate for the heavy blow that the Czech Republic will receive when it catches its breath.
Team Canada’s depth should be what turns this game into a rout, which is why I’d love to sprinkle a player or two on the third and fourth line for Cooper to make an impact in a high-profile game.
I landed on Bo Horvat because of the price and his goal scoring prowessbut you can apply the same logic to the likes of Nick Suzuki and Brad Marchand as well.
As for the match, I think the Czechs have enough scoring to help exceed the total goals in this match of 6.5 goals.
Plays: 6.5+ goals (+106, FanDuel)| Bo Horvat 2+ goals (60/1)
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.
