Switzerland Men’s Hockey will look to score its biggest win ever Wednesday.
After defeating Italy in the preliminary round, the Swiss will take on Finland in the quarterfinals, trying to keep their hopes alive for their first Olympic Medal in Men’s Ice Hockey since 1948.
Finland is the decided favorite, but the Swiss have the makings of a live underdog.
Which side provides value for Wednesday’s quarterfinal?
Switzerland vs. Finland odds, prediction
Finland has been the most manic team in the field.
The Finns were upset by Slovakia in the opening game of the tournament, then clobbered their bitter rivals, Sweden, 4-1, to set themselves up with a chance to grab a bye into the quarterfinals by either winning Group B or finishing as the top runner-up.
They took that chance in a record-setting 11-0 win over Italy.
The whitewash of Italy was eye-popping, but we learned what we needed to learn about Finland in its first two games.
They have the talent to beat anybody in this tournament, but they’ve also got enough flaws that they can get upset by pesky teams, as we saw against Slovakia.
And Switzerland, at least on paper, is a better team than the Slovaks.
The Swiss attack took a hit when Kevin Fiala suffered an injury, but they still have more than enough pop with Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Philipp Kurashev and Nino Niederreiter leading the way.
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That group of forwards should be able to find some success against a Finnish defense that has a few cracks.
Miro Heiskanen is a force, but it’s not the rosiest picture behind him, and we’ve seen this blueline struggle at the 4 Nations and at times in this tournament.
But it isn’t just the offense that makes Switzerland dangerous; the blueline is balanced, experienced, and has a bona-fide No. 1 pairing with Roman Josi and J.J. Moser, plus a terrific shutdown rearguard in Jonas Siegenthaler.
That defense will be playing in front of Akira Schmid, a goaltender with a high ceiling but also a low floor.
Schmid will be the B-side in this goaltending battle against Juuse Saros, but he’s more than capable of outperforming his opposite number. In short, goaltending is not a major concern for the Swiss.
Finland is the favorite for a reason in this encounter, but the Swiss tick every box you look for in an underdog: They’ve got scoring chops, a solid defense and a goalie who can weather a storm and steal a game.
The Play: Switzerland moneyline (+176, FanDuel)
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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.
