It took a little while, but once Team Canada got going Thursday, it was lights out for Czechia.
Macklin Celebrini got the scoring started for the tournament favorites late in the first period, but that was enough to put the game on Canada’s terms. The floodgates were open.
The final result was a 5-0 victory for the Canadians.
And while the offensive outburst from Canada was easy on the eye, it was their defensive play and goaltending that should have the rest of the field on notice.
Canada vs. Switzerland odds, prediction
Jordan Binnington was superb in the curtain-raiser, but Jon Cooper will likely switch up his goaltender for Game 2 of the preliminary round against Switzerland on Friday.
Frankly, it doesn’t really matter who is in net for Canada, as it’s hard to project a difference between Binnington, Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper.
What isn’t hard to project is the fact that Canada’s attack will likely be fit and firing.
There were plenty of sparkling moments from the Canadians against Czechia, and it’s nearly impossible for any defense in this field outside of the USA to keep pace with Canada’s forwards.
Switzerland does have a few terrific NHL players on its blueline, but there is only so much Roman Josi, J.J. Moser and Jonas Siegenthaler will be able to do against a relentless swarm of playmakers.
That defense sparkled against France in a 4-0 win, but it’s hard to take anything from that performance and apply it to Friday’s contest.
Perhaps the one thing you can glean is that Switzerland showed some scoring punch, and they do have capable finishers like Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Josi in their ranks.
There are also some notable depth players, like Nino Niederreiter, Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev on this roster.
Betting on the NHL?
Nonetheless, it will be bend-but-don’t-break for Switzerland as they try to keep this game contained, knowing that a respectable scoreline could be what earns them a bye into the quarterfinals as the top second-place team. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Swiss try to park the bus.
Logic would dictate that a conservative approach would be the best path forward for the Swiss in this one, but it really plays into Canada’s strength.
There’s just too much play-making talent on this roster, and if you sit back and try to absorb pressure all night, you are going to get picked apart.
The Play: Canada -3.5 (+155, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.