Canada got their first taste of Olympic hockey in Russia today when they skated to a 3-1 win over Norway. It seemed like Canada really picked it up in the second half of the game and started generating more chances. That said, the spread on this game was 4.5 and Canada never looked close to covering that. Austria, played earlier in the day than Canada and lost to Finland 8-4. I was surprised to see how much offense Austria was able to generate against a Finnish team known for their team defense at international competitions.
The spread for the Canada vs Austria game is also 4.5 goals, but Canada is a bigger favourite to cover this against the slightly weaker (than Norway) Austrian team. Michael Grabner scored 3 of the Austrians goals against the Finns, and shutting down him and Thomas Vanek will be the main defensive plans for Team Canada. Other than these two top end players the Austrians have Michael Raffl from the Flyers and then mostly players from the Austrian league.
Team Canada vs Austria Puckline Odds
Let’s look at the odds for this game from a few different top online sportsbooks.
Bovada.lv (Americans)/Bodog.eu (Canadians)
Austria +4.5 (+135)
Canada -4.5 (-165)
BetOnline.ag (Americans)
Austria +4.5 (+135)
Canada -4.5 (-155)
Austria +4.5 (+140)
Canada -4.5 (-160)
According to these odds if you are interested in betting on Team Canada you should do so at BetOnline.ag with odds of -155. If you plan to bet on Austria to keep the game close then you should bet at 5Dimes.eu for +140.
Free Pick
The Austrians were destroyed with 52 shots against Team Finland. The Canadians will want to build on their 3-1 victory of Norway and score as many goals as they can. I also do not expect Team Canada to allow Grabner, Vanek or Raffl to carry this team against them on offense. For these reason I expect Team Canada to win this game by more than 4 goals.
Canada was starting to turn it on in the second half of todays game and this should transfer to tomorrow as the team builds more confidence and becomes more familiar with each other and the international ice.
Play: Canada -4.5 (-155)
Tagged With : Austria • Canada • Olympics hockey betting • Team Canada betting