The 2026 Winter Olympics continue in Milan, Italy on Tuesday. The Group Stage of men’s hockey competition came to a close over the weekend, but the real action begins on Tuesday as the puck drops to begin the elimination rounds of the tournament. In the Qualification Playoffs, Czechia and Denmark do battle at 10:40 a.m. EST for stateside viewers.
For those looking to get in on the betting action, look no further. Below, we’ll hit a preview, prediction and best bet for Tuesday’s Olympic hockey matchup between Denmark and Czechia.
Denmark vs. Czechia prediction, preview
This game is likely set as the best matchup of the qualifiers. There’s a solid mix of NHL and foreign-league talent on both sides of the equation.
We’ll start with Team Denmark here. It’s been an underwhelming tournament through group play as they tallied only one regulation win and a pair of regulation losses. The tournament opened with a 3-1 defeat against a Germany team headlined by NHL superstar Leon Draisaitl — Denmark outshot its foe 38-26 but was unable to emerge with a win. Of course, a loss to the United States was anticipated, a 6-3 contest that saw the Danes outshot 47-21 against one of the favorites to win the whole shebang. However, the Danish side did muster a 4-2 win over Latvia to close group play, riding three first-period goals to the victory.
Denmark’s roster is headlined by NHL forwards Nikolaj Ehlers (CAR) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (TBL) along with netminder Frederik Andersen (CAR). However, it’s actually Nick Olesen who leads the team with four points and a team-best three goals as well. Behind him, Ehlers and Mikkel Aagaard have three points apiece, while Oscar Fisker Molgaard (SEA) has two. Andersen has also produced to the tune of a .918 SV% between the pipes across two starts, too.
But how about the other side? Czechia fared only slightly better, winning one contest in regulation, dropping another outright and losing a third in a crushing overtime outing. That doesn’t mean this team is bad by any means, though. The regulation loss came to Canada by a 5-0 margin and shocked nobody. It’s the other two games we should focus on, with a 6-3 dub over a lowly French side giving a glimpse of what could be — it’s hardly every day a squad outshoots its opponent 38-12. The tough one came against Switzerland, with Czechia blowing an early lead and falling behind 2-1 before a 57th-minute goal from Colorado Avalanche star Martin Necas. However, the blue line didn’t hold up and allowed the game-winning point just 1:49 into overtime, ending the Group Stage on a bitter note.
The Czechs did look good for stretches, allowing the fourth-fewest shots on goal and sitting middle-of-the-pack in shots themselves. Necas’ stardom shined with five points, tying for a team-best two goals and three assists while pacing the group with 14 shots. Fellow NHLers David Pastrnak (BOS), Filip Hronek (VAN) logged three points apiece alongside Filip Chlapik, who produced well in the Extraliga. Those are just the leaders at the moment, but there’s more talent where they came from, too.
Denmark vs. Czechia pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Czechia is a -2.5 favorite on the puck line with -395 odds of a straight-up win. Denmark holds +310 odds on the Moneyline with the game total set at 6.5 combined goals.
This projects as the closest of the qualifiers, although the odds may not necessarily imply a particularly close affair. Still, Denmark has shown that it can compete so far and look respectable, if nothing else. Andersen has played well in goal as well and does provide an advantage in the crease that Lukas Dostal (ANA) doesn’t with his 86.15% SV% so far. One has to wonder if the Danes instead turn to Dan Vladar (PHI), who won the lone game for this team and has a 2.47 GAA with a .907 SV% at the NHL level this season, both better marks than Dostal’s.
Still, either of them will face a formidable collection of forwards in the Czech lines. Pastrnak is a bonafide superstar and Necas is in the midst of an excellent year himself. Factor in Tomas Hertl and surrounding talent, and suddenly this forward group becomes a force to be reckoned with. The Danes can’t say they boast a similar high-end pairing, and in a do-or-die game, I’m banking on the best players on the ice. I like Czechia to cover at plus value, but an anytime goal for either of those stars (Pastrnak at -105; Necas at +105) provides a more palatable line than that margin.
