We’ve got two spots left in the semifinals of the Olympic Women’s Hockey competition. Sweden and the USA have already punched their tickets to the final four. Will Canada join them? Or can Germany pull a massive upset?
Team Canada is a -10000 moneyline favorite to win this one, and the puck line is set at -5.5 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. If you think the Germans can pull a historic upset, they’re priced at +3000. The total for this game is set at 6.5 goals. Let’s dig into a prediction and pick for this game.
Germany vs. Canada prediction, preview
So far, so good for Canada. Looking to defend its gold medal from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the team breezed through the group stage. Team Canada kicked things off with a 5-0 win over Finland, followed by a 4-0 win over Switzerland, then a 5-1 victory to clinch advancement against the Czech Republic. That left Canada with a grudge match against Team USA, a likely matchup in the medal rounds. A 5-0 drubbing by Team USA sure humbled the Canadians.
But they’re still firmly in the race, and overwhelming favorites against the Germans. Can this be a get-right spot for Team Canada?
Germany started this tournament behind the 8-ball by losing 4-1 to Team Sweden. But it fought hard to rattle off three straight wins against Japan, France, and Italy to secure its spot in the playoff round. Laura Kluge has been the driving force, scoring three goals and dishing out four assists across four preliminary matches. They’ll need her in top form if they want to pull the upset over Canada.
The rest of the team will have to step up their offensive production as well. Kluge has been involved in seven of their 10 goals thus far; you can’t rely on a single player to make the difference. The defense has held up its end of the bargain, and now they need the offense to come along for the ride.
Germany vs. Canada pick, best bet
It’s tough to find value in a game with a -10000 favorite. But the value here is in Germany’s defense, and their lack of offense.
Even when facing superior competition, they have not truly broken. After conceding four goals to a great Swedish team, they allowed only four more in their next three games. Their offense may not be all that potent, but the defense will do enough to keep the under alive
