The NHL is taking a short hiatus right now to make way for the Four Nations Face Off, which is like a mini World Cup tournament that features some of the best players on the planet. The four teams that are competing are Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland. All four of these countries are well known to be some of the best in the world at hockey, and they also contain a majority of the stars in the NHL.
Over at BetMGM Sportsbook, there are plenty of ways for you to bet on this tournament to satisfy your hockey craving while the NHL is on a break. From betting on which country will win, to who will win MVP of the tourney, there are so many options for you right now at some pretty generous prices as well.
One game is in the books already, with Canada getting an OT win over Sweden. Let’s take a look at where we stand now for which team will win the Four Nations Face Off:
Canada +130
USA +150
Sweden +550
Finland +1000
I’m sure you could have guessed that Canada and the United States would be the favorites to win, as they have the most talent overall throughout all four lines and in the net. Canada is the favorite, but by the narrowest of margins, showing the growth in the sport the U.S. has enjoyed over the last decade. It used to be that Canada would blitz everyone at hockey, except maybe Russia, but America has really made some strides with their homegrown talent.
Plus, Sweden just took Canada to overtime in that first game and had several opportunities to win that game. I’m not so sure they should be that much of a favorite over the European teams. The United States will face Finland the night of this writing, and they are a pretty substantial favorite of -350. 60% of money is on the U.S. over at BetMGM as I write this. We’ll see if Finland can put up a fight against Team USA.
As I mentioned, you can also bet on who will win MVP in this tournament, and there are so many big names to choose from. As you probably could guess, most of them are on the two favorite teams, but there are some decent longshots that are worth a look:
Sidney Crosby +400
Auston Matthews +1200
Connor Hellebuyck +1200
Connor McDavid +1600
Nathan MacKinnon +1600
Jack Eichel +2000
Jack Hughes +2200
Kyle Connor +2800
William Nylander +3000
Matthew Tkachuk +3300
Aleksander Barkov +3500
I personally think there is some good value in taking U.S. netminder Connor Hellebuyck to win the MVP. If the United States is going to win this tournament, they are going to need a herculean performance from their goaltender to do so. Canada is loaded with offensive superstars, from Crosby to McDavid to MacKinnon. Hellebuyck is one of the best between the pipes in the NHL, and he certainly is up to the task. We know that Canada is going to get their shots in, but if he can keep the pucks out while racking up saves in a U.S. victory, I think he wins it.
It is interesting that Crosby is the favorite now after Canada’s first game. He had three assists against Sweden, but didn’t score a goal. I think there is more value in backing MacKinnon at +1600 for Team Canada, who already has a goal.
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