Saturday's Olympic Hockey
By Judd Hall
Everyone will have a bad day at the office…or in this case at the sportsbook. Thursday’s card did just that for us in men’s hockey as the United States teased us against Norway, Canada barely beat the Swiss and Russia laid an egg against Slovakia. That means we’re going bounce right on Saturday when some of the lower tier teams in group play square off against one another.
Norway vs. Switzerland – 3:00 p.m. EST
At first blush, you’d think that Norway played horribly against the Americans in 6-1 decision. But the Norwegians were able to get behind the United States’ defense of a few occasions, which led to their 11 shots on goal. And you have to remember that USA picked up a pair of pretty cheap goals to enhance the final score in the last few minutes of the game. Those goals also teased me into thinking I might actually hit my puck line play.
The Swiss sure looked like they had Canada on the ropes once again in the Olympics after taking their game into a shootout at 2-2. Unfortunately for Switzerland, Sidney Crosby wasn’t left off of the Canadian’s roster this time around. He found the back of the net to give Canada 3-2 win in that second round of group play.
There is a reasonable chance this matchup could get out of hand, which I personally believe will happen. Yet we’re going play on just the money line here with Jonas Hiller and the Swiss to get out of Group A with a victory.
Fearless Selection: Switzerland on the money line
Latvia vs. Slovakia – 7:30 p.m. EST
I’d like to find a way that Latvia will win this game against the Slovaks. The problem is the Latvians don’t have a whole hell of a lot of offense. Plus, they’re going against the Czech Republic on Friday night. That doesn’t give me a lot of faith in Latvia’s chances on no rest.
Plus, I’m sure you might know that the Slovaks upset Russia on Thursday night to solidify their spot as a medal contender. If anyone can think of a way for Latvia to win this game, please e-mail me because I can’t find on.
Fearless Selection: Slovakia on the puck line
Germany vs. Belarus – 11:55 p.m. EST
If you can say anything about Belarus, it’s that they know how to fight a good fight. But that will only get you a lovely stitched pillow from your grandma or belt made from your inmate uncle. The White Russians have picked up just three goals of their own, but have allowed Finland and Sweden to visit the red light district nine times.
There is really no way to say that the Germans will make much of an impact in this game. I know that they held the Swedes to just two goals in the opener, but that was proven to be just a fluke given Friday’s results. Germany doesn’t have the offensive power to make any sort of waves against anyone...even against another second-division team.
So we have two teams that have no offense. Yet, Belarus has proven to have a decent defense in its two games in group play. That means we should see an awfully low score.
Fearless Selection: Under
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Saturday's Best Olympic Hockey Bets
Norway vs. Switzerland
Switzerland is becoming a country that’s known for something other than banks, chocolate and the world’s best tennis player.
It seems the Swiss have gotten pretty good at hockey too and gave Canada a scare Thursday night when they took them to a shootout. They lost in penalty shots for a 3-2 defeat but managed to steal another point from Canada after nabbing a stunning 2-0 victory from them at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
Jonas Hiller has been the shining star once again for the Swiss, facing nearly 100 shots through his first two games and under bettors have cashed in both times. Now he faces a Norwegian team that shouldn’t pose anywhere near the threat that either the USA or Canada did.
Norway comes in at 0-2 and was easily handled by both Canada and the USA. They like to play a defensive, trapping style and try to aim for a low-scoring contest because of their lack of world class talent up front.
Pick: Under
Latvia vs. Slovakia
The Slovaks shocked most when they upset super-talented Russia Thursday night, 2-1, in a shootout. Oddsmakers had them set as lofty 4.5-goal underdogs and they were playing just one night after losing 3-1 in a tough game against the Czechs.
But maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised. When you run down the roster for Slovakia, it’s not exactly filled with a bunch of bums.
Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara are just a few of the NHL stars on the team, but hockey fans would recognize just about every player on the squad.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak has been solid in the net too, which will give you a shot at winning every time. The Slovaks have also been a little unlucky at the offensive end, so maybe a game against Latvia is just what they need to propel them to a run that could lead to a medal.
Pick: Slovakia