Eric Uribe
What started with 12 teams is down to four. We’re talking about the men’s hockey competition at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The remaining countries will now duke it out for three medals and we’re giving you our men’s Olympic hockey picks for what’s ahead. Keep reading on for expert betting advice!
The four teams left standing are Finland, ROC, Slovakia, and Sweden. Aside from Slovakia, none of the finalists are real surprises. Before the tournament began, the top online sportsbooks had ROC, Finland, and Sweden as the top-three favorites to capture the gold medal.
The only real surprise of the bracket has been the elimination of Canada, who went down in the quarter-finals to Sweden. With the defeat, Canada will not medal in men’s hockey for the first time since the 2006 Games in Torino. Another North American “powerhouse” USA was upset in the quarters by Slovakia. We put powerhouse in quotation marks because the Americans had a skeleton roster in Beijing. Both Canada and USA were hurt greatly by the NHL’s decision to prevent league players from participating in China.
2022 Olympic Men’s Hockey Picks
What immediately stands out about the two semi-final games is how differently oddsmakers view them — one has a completely lopsided betting line, while the other is a virtual toss-up.
Finland vs. Slovakia Pick
| Team |  |  |
| Slovakia | -355 | -355 |
| Finland | +270 | +270 |
We begin with the aforementioned lopsided game. As you can see by the above betting odds, Finland is the overwhelming favorite to take down Slovakia. Finland has cruised this entire tournament, scoring a tournament-high 18 goals in only four games. They’re unbeaten in all those matchups, though did need overtime to beat Sweden in the group stage.
The easy bet to make is Finland’s moneyline, however, at -355 odds, there’s almost no money to make doing so. That’s why we’re urging you instead to look at the spread, which is set to -1.5 goals for Finland. Besides that Sweden matchup, Finland won all of its tourney games by at least two goals so covering that spread is more than feasible.
Oh, and here’s one more reason to bet the spread over moneyline: Finland and Slovakia already played once at the Olympics. It was the first game of the group stage both and the final result was Finland 6, Slovakia 2. That was just a week ago and if anything, Finland should be even more confident given its success in Beijing so far. Hammer that Finland spread here!
ROC vs. Sweden Pick
| Team | | |
| ROC | -154 | -154 |
| Sweden | +126 | +126 |
The second semi-final matchup couldn’t be any more different from the other one. ROC is favored to win, but not by much. In fact, the spread in this one is set to a measly -0.5. So who’s the better bet to make to win?
We’re sticking with the pre-tournament, ROC. They’ve lived up to that hype and more so far in Beijing. In four games, they’ve given up a mere seven goals, the lowest of the tournament. There were some doubts about its offense after mustering only eight scores in the group stage, but they seemed to quell those concerns with a three-goal effort against Denmark in the quarters. It might take overtime, but ROC beating Sweden is our prediction.
How To Watch Hockey At 2022 Olympics?
Want to follow your Olympic hockey bets play out in real-time? Of course, you do! Below you’ll find up-to-date details on watching hockey at the 2022 Olympics:
- Semi-Finals (Finland vs. Slovakia) — February 17 at 11:10 pm EST
- Semi-Finals (ROC vs. Sweden) — February 18 at 8:10 am EST
- Bronze medal game (TBD vs. TBD) — February 19 at 8:10 am EST
- Gold medal game (TBD vs. TBD) — February 19 at 11:10 pm EST
The USA Network will air three of the games, while CNBC will broadcast the bronze-medal matchup. If you’ve cut the cord, then the NBC Peacock app will also stream all four games.
How To Bet On The 2022 Olympics?
The 2022 Olympics are beginning to wind down. The closing ceremony is on February 20 and after that, we’ll have to wait another four years before betting on the Olympics again. But despite it being the final stretch of the Olympics, that doesn’t mean ALL the betting opportunities have completely dried up. At one of the betting sites below, you’ll find current Olympic bets. And in case you need more betting advice, look into our Beijing Olympics 2022 betting guide that’s loaded with free picks.
Speaking of free, there are also lucrative sign-up bonuses available that pay out hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play. The table underneath has details on the types of bonuses currently available to you to take advantage of. The free play earned can be spent as you wish, whether that’s Olympic hockey, the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, the ongoing Champions League Tournament, or another sport. Don’t leave this free money on the table and click the table below to redeem your bonus!
