The Canada vs. Finland match will be at TD Garden in Boston this Monday at 1 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on TNT and TruTV and streamed on MAX.
For today’s doubleheader, we start with Canada taking on Finland. Both of these squads fell at the hands of USA in different fashions, and whoever wins this battle will be keeping a close eye on tonight’s 8 p.m. game.
Check out my pick and prediction for Canada vs. Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
| Canada Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -155 | 6.5 +110o / -130u | -410 |
| Finland Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 +130 | 6.5 +110o / -130u | +320 |
- Canada vs. Finland puck line: Canada -1.5, Finland +1.5
- Canada vs. Finland over/under: 6.5
- Canada vs. Finland moneyline: Canada ML -410, Finland ML +320
Canada Preview
Coming off a loss against USA in front of your home fans is a kick in the gut – especially when before this, Canada has won 13 consecutive games against USA. But if the Canadians want revenge, they’ll have to go through a Finnish team hungry for the same.
Let’s get to the easy part. Goalie Jordan Binnington has to go. He was swimming in his net on Saturday, with zero control and net presence. If Canada wants a steadier presence in net, look no further than Adin Hill, who always finds a way to stay cool in big game situations.
Secondly, Canada must keep Mark Stone with Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. Those three were humming all game, with Stone being Canada’s best 5-on-5 player.
The power play will continue to get its chances and Sam Reinhart’s presence in the bumper spot will cause any team to soil itself. Reinhart made a living off becoming a power play specialist where he registered 57 goals last year, and is well on his way to another 40-goal season this year.
The boy wonder, Connor McDavid, registered Canada’s lone goal against Connor Hellebuyck on Saturday.
Typically, you know what you’re going to get out of McDavid. He was skating like the wind all night, and had a .618 Goals Above Expected score. For context, every other player on Canada was either at a zero or below.
Finland Preview
If one thing was evidently clear, if you want to wake up the Finns, just place them in a matchup with their next-door neighbors.
Unlike in the USA game, Finland looked rejuvenated against Sweden. Mikko Rantanen woke up and played like the superstar we all know he is, and while goalie Kevin Lankinen didn’t play his best, he kept his team alive down the stretch.
There’s still a lot I need to see from Finland though. The line of Rantanen, Aleksander Barkov and Artturi Lehkonen has been clicking on all cylinders, and Patrik Laine had a hand in a pair of goals on Saturday.
However, everything else has been awfully mediocre from Finland. The only thing I would like to see from coach Antti Pennanen is to juggle the lines a little bit. Keep Rantanen, Barkov and Lehkonen together, but I’d like to see Laine with a playmaker like Mikael Granlund or even Sebastian Aho.
As for the defense, I always thought this would be the bane of the Finns’ existence, and I’m pleasantly surprised. Forget what we saw against USA, they’ve held on strong.
Henri Jokiharju and Olli Maatta have been a solid pairing and Esa Lindell and Niko Mikkola were rocks on Saturday.
Canada vs. Finland Prediction and Pick
Odds are drastically in Canada’s favor – and for good reason.
Though the Finns won against Sweden, they still have the black eye of that 6-1 loss to USA. With that, Canada stayed alive and kept it close with America – even scoring first and holding onto a 1-0 lead for five minutes.
I see a lot of value in picking over 6.5. None of these goalies are mountain movers, even if coach Jon Cooper decides to pull Binnington and put in Hill.
What you have here is a dynamic offense with capabilities that can suffocate a team. If McDavid and MacKinnon skate around the way they have been all tournament, I see no reason why they won’t score a plethora of goals against Finland’s unspectacular defense and goaltending.
Picks: Over 6.5 +110
