Canada vs. Sweden Best Bets
| Canada Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -130 | 5.5 -130o / +114u | +195 |
| Sweden Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +110 | 5.5 -130o / +114u | -238 |
Canada vs. Sweden starts hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off at 8 p.m. ET tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
While the NHL breaks for this new international tournament, our hockey experts do not, and we've got a couple of bets to recommend on tonight's matchup.
These are our Canada vs. Sweden best bets and predictions for the 4 Nations Face-Off tonight, February 12, 2025.
Over 5.5 (-134)
By Ryan Sura
I think people are going to underestimate the scoring in this best-on-best tournament.
I looked back at the 2014 Sochi Olympics gold medal game between Canada and Sweden and two things stood out to me: Goalies and defensemen.
Canada won that game, 3-0, in a goalie matchup of Henrik Lundqvist vs Carey Price.
The defensemen featured for Sweden, to name a few, included Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya, Alexander Edler and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
The defensemen featured for Canada, to name a few, included Shea Weber, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo.
The goalie talent and actual defensive talent was so much higher in 2014, in the Olympics and in the NHL.
All the best defensemen now are essentially forwards: Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski. The game is just very different then it was 10 years ago.
Looking at this matchup specifically, it could feature one of the weakest goaltending matchups in the tournament. I know that’s crazy considering Filip Gustavsson has been in the Vezina conversation, but he’s struggled lately.
Since December 10th, Gustavsson has a .898 SV%, which ranks 22nd out of 31 goalies who have played at least 800 minutes over that span.
Jordan Binnington has struggled as well with an .896 SV% this season, although St. Louis hasn’t always been the most competitive.
From what I’ve heard, the practices have basically been scrimmages. The hockey in this tournament will have little structure, run and gun, and be super competitive.
That’s a perfect recipe for goals and it will start with the top tier offensive talent in Canada vs Sweden. I think this will be a 4-3 or 5-2 type game.
Over 6.5 (+110)
I think the strength of the hosts gets us here, but I am expecting goals one way or another.
For starters, while i do believe the players care, I'm not as sure they will be risking injuries by diving to block shots in a non-NHL game in the middle of the NHL season.
And even if they do care, the amount of firepower up and down both of these lineups is, frankly, insane. Both Canada and Sweden have point-per-game players stored away on their third lines.
The goaltending is my main point behind this bet however. We are projected to get Jordan Binnington vs. Filip Gustavsson.
Binnington has not been good this year. He ranks 46th in the NHL in GSAX, the worst of any starting goalie competing at this event.
Gustavsson is the better goalie, but I can't see the Canadians struggling to score with the firepower up front. I think Sweden, although the weaker side, can get a couple past Binnington if his struggles continue.
Give me goals to open up this tournament.
