Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Best Bets Today: USA vs Canada Picks

Connor Grootenhuis

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Connor has been covering the sports betting industry in a wide variety of roles for almost five years, and most enjoys writing about MLB, NHL, and college football. He is an avid supporter of #MACtion, and his favorite professional teams are the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. When it comes to his sports bets, Connor is a firm believer that every loss is a bad beat and every win is easy money.

Winter Olympics Hockey Gold Medal USA vs Canada best bet: Team USA ML over Canada (+102)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing

Team Canada began this tournament as the Gold medal favorites, as they have assembled arguably the most talented hockey roster in Olympic history. However, the Canadians have looked extremely vulnerable in the knockout stage. Canada trailed Czechia and Finland in the 3rd period in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, and needed late-game heroics in both matchups to survive and advance. They’ve definitely shown some chinks in the armor, and Team USA is far more talented than Czechia and Finland, which could present a tough challenge for Team Canada.

Injury concerns also provide a tough situation to navigate for Team Canada. Captain Sidney Crosby went down with a lower body injury in the quarterfinals against Czechia, and did not play in the semifinals against Finland. Crosby is considered a game-time decision at the time of this publishing, but even if he plays he will most likely not be a full 100%. If he is unable to go, his strong 200-foot game and elite leadership qualities will be dearly missed. In addition, star defenseman Josh Morrissey has already been ruled out, which hurts Team Canada’s defensive depth.

Team USA needed an overtime victory against Sweden in the quarterfinal round, but they put together their best all-around performance of this tournament in the semifinals against Slovakia. The Americans dominated the game from start to finish, cruising to a 6-2 win. They appear to be peaking at the right time, and Connor Hellebuyck has been lights out between the pipes. Hellebuyck leads all goaltenders in this tournament in both save percentage (.947) and goals-against average (1.23), and while Canada is capable of scoring on any given shift, Hellebuyck should be up to the task of limiting the damage.

This highly-anticipated matchup also brings us a rematch of last February’s 4 Nations Face Off Championship Game, as Canada prevailed by a score of 3-2 thanks to Connor McDavid’s overtime goal. That loss has revenge on the minds of Team USA, and I expect the Americans to be quite aggressive looking to set the tone in the first 10 minutes of this game. In what should be a tightly-contested game from start to finish, backing Team USA with plus-money odds on the money line is the move in this one.

Winter Olympics Hockey Gold Medal USA vs Canada best bet: Auston Matthews Over 3.5 shots on goal (+110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing

If Team USA wants to claim a Gold medal, it will need a strong performance from its captain. Auston Matthews has potted 3 goals in this tournament, which is tied for the team lead for the Americans. He is averaging 3 shots on goal per game, but I am expecting that number to increase in this Gold medal matchup. Matthews has undoubtedly heard the noise about performing in big moments, and I expect him to come out firing.

Matthews had multiple Grade A scoring chances against Slovakia in the semifinals, firing 4 shots on goal. However, he was unable to find the back of the net. Despite some tough luck, Matthews has been effective at finding scoring chances and putting pressure on opposing goaltenders throughout this Olympic tournament. He is second on Team USA with 12 slot chances, and has done a great job of driving the net. Matthews has scored two of his three goals in this tournament from right in front of the net, which is a great sight to see for Team USA. Matthews has a rocket of a shot, but when he is playing down low and using his body close to the crease, he greatly improves his scoring chances.

In the highest stakes on the world stage, I am not expecting Matthews to be timid. I believe he will be aggressive when the puck finds his stick and put plenty of shots on Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington. Matthews put 4 shots on goal in last February’s 4 Nations Face Off Championship Game, and I am expecting him to at least reach that number again in this one. With odds of +110 on FanDuel, consider backing Matthews Over 3.5 shots on goal. FanDuel also gives Matthews odds of +195 to score a goal, which is a bet worth considering as well.