Tom Carnduff looks at the men's ice hockey at the Winter Olympics - with an outsider backed for success at 33/1.
Ice hockey betting tips: Winter Olympics
3pts ROC to win Gold at 7/4 (Ladbrokes)
2pts Switzerland to win a medal at 3/1 (Sporting Bet)
1pt Switzerland to win Gold at 33/1 (Ladbrokes)
The men's edition of the ice hockey at the Winter Olympics gets underway on February 9 and - as was the case in 2018 - the world's top talent will be unavailable to compete.
The NHL has once again not allowed its players to take part in the games in Beijing which has led to significant movement in the outright market. Both Canada and USA opened as favourites - they drifted in a big way once that news came out.
Both North American outfits will be sending rosters with a large amount of young players - prospects for fans of NHL teams to keep an eye on - while free agent veterans will provide some serious top-level experience at least.
It opens the door for value across the tournament with the European nations now having a much bigger chance of success. It's in contrast to the IIHF World Championships - two of the major teams are far from full strength.
When: February 9 - 20
TV: Eurosport 1
Before we get on to one of the outsiders, the lack of both Canada and USA's top talent means that ROC TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL is a really strong play. It's only a best price of 7/4 - with 6/4 available generally - but it's too good to ignore in the circumstances.
Put simply, as was the case in 2018, they go to the games with the most talented roster available. The strength of the KHL means they cope comfortably with the NHL's decision to keep players back.
It's something that favours them massively. The 2018 games saw them win the majority of their games with little issue and there is the likelihood of a repeat here - that included a 4-0 win over the USA in the group stage.
Vadim Shipachyov comes into the tournament enjoying yet another strong season for Dynamo Moscow while Nikita Nesterov - formerly of the Tampa Bay Lightning - will add points from the blue line. They've also got a goaltending core going at above 91 sv% in their own league.
It may not be the most exciting price but it's one that's incredibly difficult to turn down given the way the games have now panned out.
It's not just the Russian Olympic Committee who benefit from the lack of NHLers at the tournament. Other nations will feel that they have a real chance of success and at a best price of 33/1, SWITZERLAND TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL looks an interesting play.
Other European nations have been looked at in terms of the odds - most notably Finland and Sweden who can enjoy a strong couple of weeks - but Switzerland are by no means a 33/1 chance. We would expect a much lower price.
The Swiss National League feels like one that slightly goes under the radar for most casual fans of the sport. It's understandable given the more prominent coverage given to the Scandinavian set-ups on TV, but it's strong and continues to get better.
The performances of Swiss teams in the Champions Hockey League is a good indicator of this. They consistently feature in the knockout stages of the tournament with representatives often in the last-eight. It's actually quite remarkable how unlucky they have been over the years.
That's in terms of the draw and how they seemingly always get paired up against some of the best teams Europe have to offer.
This year was no different - Fribourg-Gottéron were eliminated in the round of 16 by Red Bull München (semi-finalists), while ZSC Lions were beaten by Swedish side Rögle who are in the final. Zug ended up in the same group as the two teams named above.
Switzerland head into this competition with a strong goaltending core and one that you could make an argument for being the best of all 12 teams.
Ex-NHLer Reto Berra is heading into the tournament on 92.9 sv% in the National League, Joren van Pottelberghe on 92.2 and Leonardo Genoni - while struggling in the CHL - a good option on 92.4% for Zug in domestic action.
At best odds of 3/1, and at anything of 2/1 or above, it's also worth siding with SWITZERLAND TO WIN A MEDAL. Some bookmakers might label this as a top-three finish but it's the same thing.
Clearly, we need a disclaimer regarding Covid absences here - as one case saw the postponement of the warm-up game against Canada - but this Swiss outfit looks strong enough to take something home with them.
Winter Olympics men's ice hockey best bets
- 3pts ROC to win Gold at 7/4 (Ladbrokes)
- 2pts Switzerland to win a medal at 3/1 (Sporting Bet)
- 1pt Switzerland to win Gold at 33/1 (Ladbrokes)
Odds correct at 1630 GMT (06/02/21)
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
