
Canada and Sweden will kick off Wednesday's 4 Nations Face-Off at the Bell Centre in Montreal (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
Before the first puck, Canada is the favorite along with the United States, while the Swedes are given the second-longest odds.
For the first time in eight years, the world's best players will meet at an international hockey tournament, so get ready for an exciting and intense eight days. Our Canada vs Sweden predictions and betting odds suggest that the tournament hosts will manage to get off to a winning start in a game that will see at least six goals scored.
Canada - Sweden prediction for Wednesday
Choose confidence on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.
- Canada vs. Sweden moneyline pick: Canada 3-way ML ⭐⭐⭐
- Canada vs. Sweden Over/Under pick: Over 5.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Who will win the Canada vs. Sweden matchup?
Canada 3-way ML ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Canada is favored to win the matchup against the Swedes with odds of -230 on FanDuel. Of all of our top sports betting apps, FanDuel offers the best value. Given the microscopic value of the -230 odds, where a $10 bet will yield a profit of just $4.35, we're opting for the 3-way moneyline, expecting Canada to win in regulation time.
Jon Cooper has named Jordan Binnington as Canada's starting goalie.
Sweden head coach Sam Hallam has yet to name his starting player. However, he will likely favor Linus Ullmark or Filip Gustavsson. Considering Linus Ullmark hasn't been getting any playing time lately, I'm guessing it will be the latter.
Canada has too much offensive power for Sweden
Other than analyzing each team's lineup, we have nothing to guide us. No one knows which team will play better or be the most cohesive. However, we do know that Canada's lineup is much better, not counting the goalies. Canada is faster, has more depth and is more talented.
Canada's promising forwards should make the other three countries take notice. Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner and Sam Reinhart practiced together on Monday, while Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone made up the 1B line. Need we say more?
Unless Gustavsson or Ullmark get in over their heads, I can't foresee anything but a Canada win on the 3 lines. A $10 bet will yield a profit of $6.06. This is a 3-star game because of the high odds.
Best Odds: -165 | Estimated Probability: 62.26%
What will be the score in Canada vs Sweden?
Over 5.5 goals ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If I were to pick an exact score, it would be 4-2 in favor of Canada. Cooper's team has too powerful a lineup to be contained. However, they will have to work hard against Sweden's starting goalie. Gustavsson has won four of his last five games with the Minnesota Wild and has a 14.6 save percentage.
He's expected to step in as a substitute.
Ullmark has played just two games since returning from a lengthy injury-related hiatus. While Gustavsson will be tough to beat, I don't see him preventing the Canadiens from scoring at least three goals. If they score three, I envision Canada scoring a goal into an empty net.
To me, that's the worst case scenario for this stellar Canadian team.
Sweden will likely field one line with Lucas Raymond and Jesper Bratt and another with Adrian Kempe, Filip Forsberg and Elias Pettersson. While both lines are strong, they pale in comparison to Canada's two best links.
And Canada has an even more decisive advantage at the bottom of the lineup.
They will focus on putting pressure on Mika Zibanejad, who is minus-24 with the New York Rangers, and Rickard Rakell. The Pens forward has an abysmal minus-14. A $10 bet would yield a profit of $7.41.
Best odds: -135 | Estimated probability: 57.45%.
Odds for Canada vs Sweden
Betway Odds.
Market | Canada | Sweden |
---|---|---|
Moneyline | -230 | +188 |
Puck line | -1.5 (+112) | +1.5 (-138) |
Over/Under | Over 5.5 goals (-135) | Under 5.5 (+112) |
Canada vs. Sweden
Here are the lineups for Wednesday's 4 Nations Face-Off Canada vs. Sweden.
Canada | Sweden |
---|---|
Sam Bennett | Viktor Arvidsson |
Anthony Cirelli | Jesper Bratt |
Sidney Crosby | Leo Carlsson |
Brandon Hagel | Joel Eriksson Ek |
Seth Jarvis | Filip Forsberg |
Travis Konecny | Rickard Rakell |
Nathan MacKinnon | Adrian Kempe |
Brad Marchand | Elias Lindholm |
Mitch Marner | William Nylander |
Connor McDavid | Gustav Nyqvist |
Brayden Point | Elias Pettersson |
Sam Reinhart | Lucas Raymond |
Mark Stone | Mika Zibanejad |
Cale Makar | Rasmus Andersson |
Josh Morrissey | Jonas Brodin |
Colton Parayko | Rasmus Dahlin |
Travis Sanheim | Mattias Ekholm |
Shea Theodore | Gustav Forsling |
Devon Toews | Victor Hedman |
Drew Doughty | Erik Karlsson |
Jordan Binnington | Filip Gustavsson |
Adin Hill | Samuel Ersson |
Samuel Montembeault | Linus Ullmark |
When will the Canada vs Sweden match take place?
When: Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Bell Centre (Montreal, Quebec)
How to watch: Sportsnet, TNT
Favorite: Canada (-230 on FanDuel)