The 2026 Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament is set for a jam-packed Friday slate. A total of 4 games brings us action from the early morning hours all the way through the evening. Team Canada remains the tournament favorites heading into Day 3, and Sidney Crosby and company are set for an afternoon showdown against Switzerland. We are taking a look at that matchup for one of our best bets of the day, and for the other best bet we are diving into the matchup between Czechia vs France.
Don’t forget you can also get our Winter Olympics hockey picks throughout the entire tournament.
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey best bet: Canada vs Switzerland Over 5.5 (-135)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
Team Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 in its first game of the tournament on Thursday. Not surprisingly, the Canadians showed few flaws against Czechia — as 5 different players scored goals and Jordan Binnington posted a 26-shot shutout between the pipes. Canada dominated puck possession and out-shot Czechia 36 to 26. Connor McDavid was all over the place and dished out a trio of assists while 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini made quite the Olympic debut by scoring Canada’s first goal of the tournament. It was truly was a dominant offensive performance, and more of the same can be expected against Switzerland.
Don’t be surprised if McDavid and company exceed the 5 goals they scored against Czechia in this matchup against Switzerland goaltender Akira Schmid. Schmid has taken on a larger role with the Golden Knights this season, but he still owns a save percentage of .895 through 29 games thus far. That doesn’t warrant much confidence that he will be able to stymie Canada’s elite forward group. Furthermore, the defensive group in front of him will be outclassed from top to bottom.
On the other side, while Binnington looked rock solid against Czechia, head coach Jon Cooper has hinted at a different starter getting the nod between the pipes against Switzerland. Logan Thompson seems like the ideal choice, but he missed multiple weeks with an upper-body injury in January. He returned for one game before the Olympic break, but it’s possible the effect of the injury is still looming. Switzerland potted 4 goals in a shutout victory over France on Thursday, with Timo Meier leading the way with a pair of goals. Switzerland shouldn’t be expected to go crazy offensively, but there’s enough talent and enough question marks in goal for Canada for Switzerland to find at least some scoring success. With a total of 5.5, look to the over in this one.
Read our full Canada vs Switzerland prediction for this afternoon’s matchup
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey best bet: Czechia -3.5 over France (-118)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
Team Czechia had a tough draw opening the tournament against Canada on Thursday. The Czechs found themselves as 5.5-goal underdogs on the puck line, but now have a much more favorable matchup against France on Friday. Now, Czechia is listed as heavy favorites and is -3.5 on the puck line. Despite being held scoreless against the Canadians, Czechia should still enter this matchup with plenty of confidence.
David Pastrnak is a bona fide superstar and has racked up 71 points through 52 games with the Bruins so far this season. Pastrnak doesn’t have to worry about doing everything himself, as Czechia has several other experienced NHL playmakers that can chip in. Martin Necas is a star in his own right, and is averaging more than a point per game with 62 points in 52 games with Colorado this season. In addition, Ondrej Palat and Tomas Hertl are solid depth scorers who have plenty of experience. Czechia should be able have a much better game offensively in this one.
France is playing in its first Olympics since 2002 and currently has the second-longest odds to win the tournament. Not much went right for the French in their opening game against Switzerland. They came out firing with 11 shots on goal in the first period but couldn’t muster up much of anything the rest of the way. The powerplay went 0-for-4, and France ultimately suffered a 4-0 loss. Alexandre Texier is the only NHL player on Team France’s roster, which gives the French a tough challenge going up against Pastrnak, Necas and company. Look for Czechia to be the team to bounce back from its opening loss in a big way.
See the full analysis of our Czechia vs France best bet
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