Slovakia vs Canada Prediction: the Maple Leafs to Continue Undefeated

Prediction for the Hockey World Cup Slovakia vs Canada match, which will take place on May 16. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Slovakia is a team that has finally been able to make some serious progress. After several disappointing years, Craig Ramsey's squad made it out of the group at the last World Cup, although they fell in the quarterfinals. At the Olympics in Beijing they were even bronze medalists. For this reason, we should expect a decent showing from the Slovaks at the 2022 World Cup as well, but they are not going to be the most successful debut of the tournament. In the first game, they clinched a hard-fought 4:2 win over the Frenchmen. In the second one, despite owning the game advantage, they lost to the Germans 1:2.

Canada continues to perform as the reigning world champion. At the last World Cup, the Maple Leafs started with three losses in a row, but that did not prevent them from taking the gold medals. At the 2022 World Cup, Claude Julien's wards decided not to repeat the mistakes of last year's, so they are undefeated. In the first meeting, the squad beat the German national team - 5:3. Then, as funny as it may sound, they claimed a resounding victory over Italy - 6:1. Of course, all the main rivals for the Canadians are ahead, but so far, they look decent.

Slovakia is an extremely unyielding team, but it will be extremely difficult for them to compete with the reigning world champions. Craig Ramsey has a lot of talented guys at his disposal, but most of them are still too young and inexperienced, so they make a solid amount of mistakes. The Maple Leafs will be more than happy to take advantage of any mistakes by their opponents, and they can create plenty of chances themselves. As a result, we place a bet on the victory of the Canadian team with a handicap (-1.5).

• Team Canada has won the last five consecutive World Cup matches.
• Team Slovakia has won five of its last seven official matches.
• Team Canada has beaten Team Slovakia in six of their last seven head-to-head meetings.

Canada has not only been beating Slovakia lately but also shooting heavily. In the three previous head-to-head encounters, the Maple Leafs have outscored their opponents 15 times (5.00 per game. We expect productive action at the net as the Red and Blacks brought an impressive offensive line. On this basis, the best option for the prediction seems to be an individual total of Canada over 3.5.

One of the most star players on the current Canadian national team is Mathew Barzal. He spent six seasons for the Islanders, and at the end of the last regular season, he also became one of the top scorers for the team, earning 59 points (15 goals + 44 assists) in 73 games. At the Worl Cup, he so far acts only as an assistant. In 2018, he made seven assists and added to them one more in the first game at the 2022 World Cup. In this situation, it is worth looking at the bet on Mathew Barzal.

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