Russia (w) vs Canada (w): Canada to pick up their third big win of the tournament

The Russians have lost to the Canadians in their last ten consecutive head-to-head encounters by a combined score of 4-80. Will Evgeny Bobariko's team be able to break their losing streak? We predict the Maple Leafs will win easily again!

Russia

The Russian national team is one of the contenders for medals of the Olympics. Four years ago, it was so too, although they lost all the three games in the group stage with a total score of 1:15, they reached the semifinals and missed out on the medals. Evgeny Bobariko's charges had already performed better at the group stage, as in the first game they got a confident 5-2 win over Switzerland. Alas, the day before, the Russians lost to the USA team with a score of 0:5. However, it was expected that the score could be even worse before the game, so such an outcome can't be considered a tragedy.

Canada

Team Canada is one of the two favourites for the 2022 Olympics, and indeed for any tournament, it participates in. However, four years ago in Pyeongchang, the representatives of the Maple Leaf country were left with only a silver medal, as in the final game, they lost to the USA 2:3. In the Beijing tournament, Troy Ryan's wards started to crush their opponents from the very first games. First, the Canadians crushed Switzerland 12-1, leaving Finland with no chance - 11-1. Natalie Spooner is in crazy form, with nine points in two games, and the others are trying to match her performance.

History of head-to-head encounters between Russia and Canada

In the XXI century, these teams played ten head-to-head games. Every time victory was celebrated by Canadian ice hockey players with the total difference of pucks - 80:4. The last time the teams played in a World Championship was since August 2021, when the Maple Leaf team defeated the Russians - 5:1.

Expert Betting Tips

The Russian national team was very good in opening two games at the 2022 Olympics and exceeded their expectations; however, ahead of them is the match against Canada, who started the Olympics with a stunning performance winning two games in a row by the total score of 23:2. There's a good chance that the Maple Leafs will not just score three points in their next clash but will do so as comfortably as possible, as they've won their last ten face-offs by a combined score of 80-4. As a result, we should bet on the victory of the Canadian team with a handicap (-6.5) for 1.70.

The Canadian national team breaks everyone in its path and throws a handful of pucks into the goals of each of the opponents. The Swiss team got 12 goals from the Maple Leafs, while the Finns allowed 11. Troy Ryan's squad will likely show their mettle on offence, especially in their last ten games with the Russians, where they have allowed 80 goals (8.00 goals per game on average). With this in mind, Canada's Individual Total Over 7.5 goals for 1.95 seems to be the best option.