The 4 Nations Face-Off has been even better than advertised through four of the seven total games. It has led to a situation where, with a round-robin game remaining, Team USA has clinched a spot in the Championship, leaving the remaining teams with a must-win on Monday.
The action begins with Team Canada facing off against Team Finland at 1 PM ET. We will see both teams’ best efforts in what should be a great game. If you are interested in laying a wager or two, here are a few that stand out.
Team Canada vs Team Finland Predictions
- Pick #1: Canada -1.5 (-155) over Team Finland
- Pick #2: Over 6.5 Total Goals (+110)
- Pick #3: Nathan MacKinnon Anytime Goalscorer (+165)
Pick #1: Canada -1.5 (-155) Over Team Finland
If Team Canada is going to have any retribution against Team USA, which they want, they need to win this game in regulation to give themselves a chance to play in the Championship. This is not a game that Team Canada will take for granted despite being heavy favorites. Team Finland beat Team Sweden in overtime, who lost in overtime to Team Canada. If Canada does not do its best, Finland can take advantage.
What bodes well for Team Canada in this game is that Team Finland has struggled with goal prevention. Finland has allowed 9 goals through their first two games of this tournament. A Canada roster with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and more superstars has a good chance to exploit Team Finland’s goal prevention and run up the score in a pivotal game.
Pick #2: Over 6.5 (+110)
As mentioned, Team Finland has struggled to keep the puck out of the net. The Canadians are a deep, talented team that will be playing angrily in a must-win. Look for them to make a hard offensive push in this game. If Team Canada can capitalize on Team Finland’s goal prevention vulnerability, it shouldn’t leave much work left to do for this game to go over the total.
After a somewhat ugly first game, Team Finland bounced back with a nice 4-3 win over Team Sweden on Saturday. This has the makings of a game where Team Finland may have to take some chances offensively to stay in it. If that is the case, they showed on Saturday that they can score when they need to. It may not result in a win for them, but it will push the game total.
Pick #3: Nathan MacKinnon Anytime Goalscorer (+165)
There aren't many hockey players on the planet scarier than Nathan MacKinnon when he has a chip on his shoulder. Fans have seen it time and time again on multiple Colorado Avalanche playoff runs. MacKinnon scored and had a great game against Team Sweden but was relatively quiet against Team USA. After going -1 with just a shot on goal, he is a prime candidate for a bounceback in this one.
MacKinnon has a great chance to produce against a team that has allowed an average of 4.5 goals per game in this tournament. It only helps that his linemates are Sidney Crosby and Mark Stone and that he is on the top power play. This +165 has a ton of appeal for one of the best players in the world to score in a big game.
