Olympic Hockey Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are my picks for Saturday’s Olympic Hockey action.
Sweden (1-1) vs Slovakia (2-0)
Sweden (-2.5, -118) vs Slovakia (+2.5, -102) – Total 5.5 (Over, -135)
6:10 am ET
The Slovaks control their fate tomorrow when they take on Sweden. A Slovakian win in regulation or an overtime or shootout loss and they will win Group B and advance to the quarterfinal round. Sweden is coming off a 4-1 loss to Finland on Friday, which is the identical score that Slovakia defeated Finland on Wednesday. On paper, the Swedes are the better team, but Slovakia has been the better team on the ice, winning their first two games, outscoring the opponents by a combined 10-4.
Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota) has started both games for Sweden and has been very average in his performance. I would not be surprised to see Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey) get the start on Saturday, especially with this being not only a back-to-back but also three games in four days.
I will grab the (+2.5) goals with Slovakia, along with a couple of goal props. Juraj Slafkovsky leads the team with two goals and two assists, and his goal prop at (+325) available at Bet365 is a must for me. Adam Ruzicka also has a pair of goals. Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis) is second on the team in points, and I will grab both his goal and assist props.
When it comes to Sweden props, I am waiting for shots on goal numbers to be released later on Friday, and I will post those additional props on my Twitter (X) feed later on Friday.
Olympic Hockey Predictions and Best Bets:
Slovakia +2.5 goals (-102) – 1.25 units
Juraj Slafkovsky anytime goal (+325) – .25 units
Dalibor Dvorsky anytime goal (+450) – .10 units
Dalibor Dvorsky Over ½ assist (+300) – .10 units
Adam Ruzicka anytime goal (+500) – .10 units
Germany (1-0) vs Latvia (0-1)
Germany (-1.5, -112) vs Latvia (+1.5, -108) – Total 5.5 (Under, -135)
6:10 am ET
Germany opened the preliminary round with a convincing 3-1 victory over Denmark, while Latvia was overpowered by the United States, 5-1. Latvian goalie Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus) gave up the first four goals to the USA and Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh) started the third period, surrendering one goal. Merzlikins was not pulled because he gave up bad goals. He and Lativa were simply overwhelmed by the deep roster of Team USA.
Germany has the four best players in this game with Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton), Tim Stutzle (Ottawa), Moritz Seider (Detroit) and JJ Peterka (Utah). I like Germany to win this game and cover the Puck Line, but I want to get a “plus money” return. With that in mind, I am going to parlay the Germany Puck Line with the Italy Puck Line (+4.5).
As for player props, Tim Stutzle has five goals in 10 career games versus Elvis Merzlikins, including three goals in two games this season. I am on his anytime goal and will add Stutzle to score at least two goals when that prop becomes available. Leon Draisaitl’s goal prop (+110) doesn’t offer a great deal of value, but as long as we are getting “plus money” for the wager, I am in. Josh Samanski centers the top power play unit, making his goal prop desirable. For Latvia, Renars Krastenbergs has their lone goal of the Olympics.
Olympic Hockey Predictions and Best Bets:
Germany -1.5 goals/Italy +4.5 goals (+247) – .50 units
Leon Draisaitl (+110) anytime goal – .25 units
Tim Stutzle anytime goal (+155) – .25 units
Josh Samanski anytime goal (+320) – .05 units
Renars Krastenbergs anytime goal (+425) – .05 units
USA (1-0) vs Denmark (0-1)
USA (-4.5, +120) vs Denmark (+4.5, -142) – Total 6.5 (Over, -118)
3:10 pm ET
Denmark was able to muster one goal against Germany. Now, they face Team USA with arguably the best blueline in the Olympics. At the time of this column, we don’t have confirmation on a starting goalie for Team USA, but whether it’s Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Jake Oettinger (Dallas) or Jeremy Swayman (Boston), it is not going to change my overall handicapping of this game. There is value on two NHLers on Denmark’s roster. Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina) is (+450) for his anytime goal and Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa) is (+600).
Here is how I am going to initially attack my Team USA wagers. I look for US to jump out to a fast start and will play the USA Total Over 1.5 (-110) and Team USA on the 1st period Puck Line (-1.5). I am hoping to get some clarity on line combinations and starting goalies later this evening.
Olympic Hockey Predictions and Best Bets:
Team USA Team Total Over 1.5 (-110) – .50 units
Team USA 1stPeriod -1.5 goals (+135) – .50 units
Quinn Hughes Over ½ assist (-115) – 1 unit
Brady Tkachuk Over ½ assist (+125) – .50 units
Nikolaj Ehlers anytime goal (+450) – .10 units
Oliver Bjorkstrand anytime goal (+600) – .10 units
