The semifinals are set at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the Olympic Athletes of Russia are the betting favorite at -150 to win gold in men’s hockey.
Online sportsbook Sportsbook is offering odds on which nation will be at the top of the podium with OAR in the lead followed by Canada at +200, the Czech Republic at +750 and Germany at +2500.
Olympic Athletes of Russia
The OAR pummeled Norway 6-1 in the quarterfinals and are a huge favorite to get their first Olympic hockey medal since winning bronze in 2002. With their abundance of talent like Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk leading the charge, this team will be tough to beat on international ice. They face the Czech Republic in the semifinals.
Canada
Canada squeaked by Finland 1-0 in its first elimination game and will be psyched to see they get to play the Germans instead of Sweden. The Canucks will need to lean on goaltender Kevin Poulin vs Germany as starter Ben Scrivens is expected to miss the rest of the tournament with an upper-body injury.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic may be a sleeper at +700 to win gold if they can overcome the OAR. The Czechs were undefeated in group play and have come up big in shootouts, beating the Canadians and Americans in that format. If the semifinal game is close, it may be “Czech mate” for the OAR.
Germany
Germany has a chance to win a medal in Olympic Hockey for the first time since winning bronze in 1976.
The biggest surprise of the entire tourney, Germany is an overwhelming underdog to win it all at +2500. The Germans face Canada in their semifinal matchup but had the signature win of the tournament in the quarterfinals when they upset Sweden 4-3 in overtime.
Germany has a chance to win a medal in Olympic hockey for the first time since winning bronze in 1976 and is led by former NHLer Christian Ehrhoff on the blue line.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Olympic Athletes of Russia | -150 |
| Canada | +200 |
| Czech Republic | +750 |
| Germany | +2500 |
Odds as of February 21 at Sportsbook
