The moment hockey fans have been waiting for is finally here. Wednesday marks the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, as the best players in the world compete against one another on the biggest stage. With 12 teams competing for a Gold medal, the competition promises to be exciting, entertaining, and full of speed, skill, and national pride. A pair of games gets the action started on Wednesday as Slovakia battles Finland and Sweden takes on Italy. I comfortably cashed on USA to beat Canada in yesterday’s women’s hockey action, and I’m looking to start the men’s hockey tournament hot here with my best bets. As puck drop draws nearer, here is a look at our best bets for today’s slate of Men’s Ice Hockey at the Winter Olympics.
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey best bet: Finland -2.5 over Slovakia (+114)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The first matchup of the men’s tournament features Slovakia going up against Finland. Led by superstar forward Mikko Rantanen, Finland can be considered a dark horse Gold medal team in this tournament. Rantanen has established himself as one of the best players in the world, and his well-rounded skill set gives Slovakia a lot to worry about. Team Finland’s roster also consists of Sebastian Aho, who may be the quietest superstar in the NHL, and Roope Hintz, who has become a model of consistency playing alongside Rantanen with the Stars. The Finns also have a clear No. 1 defenseman in Miro Heiskanen, and he is exactly the type of blueliner needed when looking to make a Gold medal run in a tournament like this one.
On the other side, Team Slovakia simply lacks the same well-rounded scoring depth that Finland possesses. Only a handful of Slovaks are rostered on NHL teams, and most are past their prime. Slovakia may come out as the more physical team, but Finland is more than capable of handling the pressure. Juuse Saros also gives the Finns the edge in net over Samuel Hlavaj, which should give bettors plenty of confidence in backing Finland on the puck line -2.5.
Find out our Winter Olympics Hockey Gold Medal predictions, including a pick at +1000 odds!
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey best bet: Sweden -4.5 over Italy (-135)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
The 2nd game of the day features a substantial mismatch between Sweden and Italy. Oddsmakers expect very different things from these teams in this matchup and in this tournament. When it comes to Gold medal odds boards, Team Sweden has the 3rd-best odds at +650 behind Canada (+115) and USA (+175) on DraftKings Sportsbook. Italy sits at the bottom with odds of +100000. In this contest, not only is Sweden the overwhelming favorite on the money line, but the puck line is listed at a whopping 4.5 in Sweden’s favor. That’s not something you see every day, and shows the stark contrast in how oddsmakers view these teams heading into this matchup.
Team Sweden’s roster is chock-full of experienced NHL players who are more than capable of lighting the lamp early and often. Not much should be expected of Italy offensively, and it seems quite possible that this game gets out of reach relatively early. While that could mean Sweden decides to take its foot off the gas, Filip Forsberg and company should still be able to put up a high goal total in this one. There’s really only one way to bet this matchup. Don’t overthink it and take Sweden on the puck line -4.5.
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