We have a mid-season break in the NHL as the Olympic Winter Games take place in Italy, with men’s Ice Hockey being one of the key team sports.
Plenty of the NHL’s top stars will be taking part in the tournament. So who are the favorites to win gold? And which teams do we believe represent the best value across the betting odds at OddsTrader?Â
Who Will Win the Gold Medal?
The Canadians come into these Olympic Games as the sportsbooks’ favorites to win gold. America will be hoping to pick up their first medal since their silver in 2010, while Canada dominated the Olympic ice hockey scene from 2002 until 2014, winning four gold medals in a row and stringing together a 24-game winning streak.
Here are all the latest odds at BetOnline:
- Canada (-140)
- USA (+200)
- Sweden (+700)
- Finland (+1200)
- Czechia (+1800)
- Switzerland (+2000)
- Germany (+5000)
- Slovakia (+8000)
- Latvia (+25000)
- Denmark (+25000)
- France (+50000)
- Italy (+100000)
Olympic Hockey Best Bet
Canada (-140)
With the NHL player rosters returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, it’s hard to look past the Canadians picking up where they left off in 2014. Although the USA team is strong, their biggest strength right now is a better goaltender lineup. Should the USA and Canada meet, it would be essentially a repeat of the 4 Nations league final, which Canada won, just about.Â
With Canada boasting an offense of Nathan McKinnon, Connor McDavid, and future Hall-of-Famer Sidney Crosby, it’s going to be tough to keep this team quiet. They have amazing depth with the likes of Nick Suzuki, Brad Marchand, Mick Marner, and Brandan Hagel. Defensively, the Canadians have a strong first duo with Canadian Avalanche teammates and duo Cale Makar and Devon Toews.Â
It’s likely going to be a USA and Canada final. Give us the Canadians at -140 to regain their Olympic Gold Medal.Â
Olympic Hockey Sleeper
Germany (+5000)
We like Germany to play well and beyond their current odds of +5000 to win a medal at this year’s Olympics. Despite being +5000 to win the Gold, they do have a strong team, which includes star player Leon Drasiitl.Â
Germany might not have a full NHL team, with many players playing internationally, but the ones they do have are notable. Following Draisaitl are the likes of Philip Grauber, Nico Sturm, Tim Stutzle, and Lukas Reichel.Â
Germany were runners-up in 2018 behind Russia.Â
Place Your NHL Picks Now!
Be sure to sign up with multiple top sportsbooks so that you can line-shop and secure the best payout for your Olympic hockey picks. The odds are so attractive for these wagers, and signing up costs you nothing, so it only makes sense to win more money.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
