The Four Nations Faceoff Final matchup between Canada and the United States will take place on Thursday, and I think everyone could have predicted it would come down to these two in what should be a great game. Without a doubt, both countries boast the best rosters that hockey has ever seen, with superstars on every line duking it out to see who will come out on top. As you probably know, they just played each other last week, with the United States coming away with a victory north of the border.
Team USA won that game 3-1, stifling what is perhaps the most talented offensive team ever assembled in the sport. Will that happen again on Thursday night? See what my best bet for the game is below over at BetMGM, where you can find the best odds and all kinds of markets to bet into for the contest.
Canada ML at United States (-110, BetMGM)
First of all, I just want to say that I am an American, I am a patriot, I love my country and I would fight for it if I needed to. With that being said, I am betting on the Canadians to come away with a win here against us in this Final game of the tournament. Putting the booing of our national anthem aside and all of the politics, I think there is great value in taking Canada to win this game at just a crazy -110 price tag.
These teams have faced off 20 times in the past, and Canada has won 14 of those matchups. That is a very good winning percentage, and while the United States has gotten much better at hockey over the last 10-20 years, Canada is still the more talented team. They should be, as they invented the game and it is essentially like NFL football for us in Canada. To have an offense that features both Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, who are the best two players in the sport right now, seems unfair.
However, they clearly are not unbeatable, as the USA proved last Saturday night. While the United States is at a disadvantage in terms of skaters, they have one big ace in the hole, or should I say between the pipes. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is easily the best netminder in this tournament, and is one of the best backstops in the NHL, leading in Vezina trophy odds right now. If there is anyone that can put a halt to team Canada’s onslaught of offensive power, it is Hellebuyck.
Still, he will have to be at the very top of his game if he hopes to get a second win against the Canadians. Holding them to just a single goal for a second consecutive game is likely not possible, as they simply are too good to keep out of the net. It will be all about the type of game he has, and Hellebuyck is really the key to this entire thing, along with Canada’s netminder Jordan Binnington.
Binnington is not nearly as good as Hellebuyck is, but he does have some fantastic defenders in front of him, and the best players in the world on his offense. If he can have a good game and limit the United States to two goals, I think his team will win. While team USA also has plenty of offensive firepower with Auston Matthews and the Tkachuk brothers, they also have been limited at times, with a loss to Sweden and an OT win against Finland.
I’ll take the value with Canada here at just -110 odds, as I think they are the better overall team, and it will come down to how each netminder performs in net.
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