Men’s hockey in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics got started on Wednesday night with matchups between Slovakia and Finland, and Sweden and Italy. Today, Germany will take on Denmark, with first puck drop scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Germany is a -265 favorite on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 5.5 goals.
Below, I’ll share a preview and prediction for Thursday afternoon’s tilt between Germany and Denmark.
Germany vs. Denmark prediction, preview
While these two teams profile similarly, Germany has the upper hand, thanks to its depth and high-end talent. Leon Draisaitl will lead the German team, and he’ll have help from NHL players such as Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka, Lukas Reichel and Nico Sturm. The Germans also have a significant blue-line advantage, fielding Moritz Seider, who is one of the most underrated defensive defensemen in the NHL. Additionally, Germany has Philipp Grubauer starting between the pipes, and he has had a nice bounce-back season with Seattle, posting a 2.43 GAA and .916 SV%.
On paper, Denmark appears to have the potential to compete with Germany; however, the blue line lacks a single NHL player, and this will likely be exposed by the likes of Draisaitl and Stutzle. Still, the Danish team features quality forwards such as Nikolaj Ehlers, Lars Eller, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Oscar Fisker-Molgaard, as well as veteran NHL goaltending from 36-year-old Frederik Andersen. It is worth noting that Andersen has struggled this season, posting career-highs in both GAA (3.26 GAA) and SV% (.871 SV%), adding yet another disadvantage for Denmark.
Germany vs. Denmark pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, 88% of the bets have been placed on Germany Moneyline (-265), and for good reason. It’s difficult to see Denmark keeping up with Germany’s high-end talent, especially with zero NHL blue-liners and an aging Andersen that has looked quite bad for the vast majority of the season. Let’s take it a step further and attack Germany on the Puck Line -1.5 (-105), which still holds a whopping 73% of the bets. I think Denmark can sneak a goal or two past Grubauer, but Draisaitl must be licking his chops knowing that he can carry the puck into the offensive zone whenever he wants.
