Canada vs. Sweden Prediction and Picks-4 Nations Face-Off
The Four Nations Face-Off begins with Sweden going up against Canada on Wednesday night. Sweden is one of the underdogs heading into this tournament but they have no shortage of star power. Canada on the other hand enters the event as the favorite with elite players from the top down and they look to continue their international success considering they won the Gold Medal in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Who will win this game? Check out our Sweden vs Canada prediction!
Sweden Hopes a Great Defense will Carry them
Sweden has a star-studded lineup but the offense might be their biggest question mark. William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad, and Jesper Bratt will anchor the top line but the question is how the other three lines come together. The hope is that Elias Pettersson steps up as the second-line center while Lucas Raymond and Filip Forsberg add depth to the unit. The bright spot is they’ll get a spark from the point with Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson providing a spark at the blue line.
While the offense has its question marks, the defense is sure to take over games. Victor Hedman and Jonas Brodin will lead the top pair while Erik Karlsson, Mattias Ekholm, and Rasmus Dahlin will add depth to the unit. Moreover, goaltender Filip Gustavsson is having a career year with the Minnesota Wild and looks to hold things down in the net.
Canada Enters Tournament As Team To Beat
Canada enters this tournament with the most talented roster and that starts with their forward unit. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby have combined to win the Hart Trophy six times and they are leading the top six. In addition, Sam Reinhart is one of the best scorers while Mitch Marner is one of hockey's best playmakers and they round out a forward unit with no weaknesses.
For as good as the forward unit looks, the defense might be better. Cale Makar and Devon Toews, two teammates on the Colorado Avalanche, lead the top pair while Shea Theodore, Josh Morrissey, and Dre Doughty round out the unit. The only question mark is in the net and it looks like Adin Hill will be the starter for the time being.
Prediction Canada -1.5 (+110)
Canada enters this tournament with the best roster across they look to dominate this game from the opening puck drop. Canada should find the back of the net at will with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and the rest of the forward unit establishing a strong offensive zone presence and creating open shots with quick passes. Canada also looks to limit Sweden’s offense with Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone while limiting shooting lanes, allowing goaltender Adin Hill to make plenty of big saves. Canada should win the game and cover the spread in a dominant win to begin the Four Nations Face-Off.
Over 6
Canada is led by a dynamic offense and this game looks to be high-scoring from the opening puck drop. Sweden should create plenty of scoring chances with William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with quick passes to overwhelm Adin Hill in Canada’s net. Canada should run up the score with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, and the rest of the forward unit crashing the net on the rush and creating open shots with effective puck movement while Cale Makar picks apart Sweden's defense from the point. The Over should cover in a high-scoring game with both offenses stepping up. T
