The men's hockey teams from the United States and Canada renew their rivalry in the 2022 Beijing Olympics when the sides collide in a Group A preliminary round game on Friday at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. The United States (1-0) opened the Beijing Games on Thursday with a dominant 8-0 win over host country China. Meanwhile Canada (1-0) began group play with a 5-1 win over Germany. The two teams lead the Group A standings, and the winner of Friday's game will be the overwhelming favorite to earn the top seed out of the group entering the elimination round.
The opening face-off is set for 11:10 p.m. ET. Canada is a -210 (risk $210 to win $100) money-line favorite in the latest USA vs. Canada odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total goals is 5.5. The spread, or puck line, is Canada -.5 goals (-142). Before locking in any Canada vs. USA picks or Beijing Olympics 2022 predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say.
A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. For Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet over on Team USA's gold medal count (41.5) and over on Team USA's overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes.
For the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning under 10.5 gold medals (+110). And at last year's Tokyo Games, he correctly predicted the United States would go over 111.5 total medals (-110).
Now, Tierney has analyzed Friday's Team USA vs. Canada matchup. He has identified several factors as to why this wager will cash. You can visit SportsLine now to see the Beijing Olympics pick. Now, here are the 2022 Olympic hockey odds for Canada vs. Team USA:
- USA vs. Canada money line: Canada -210, USA +194
- USA vs. Canada over-under: 5.5 goals
- USA vs. Canada puck line: Canada -0.5 (-142)
Why the USA will win
The Americans have an elite playmaker in Sean Farrell. A forward from Harvard and a prospect of the Montreal Canadiens, Farrell scored a hat trick and two assists in the tournament-opening win over China. The hat trick was the first for Team USA in the Olympics since Phil Kessel had one in 2014.
In addition, the United States already beat Canada on Monday in a controlled scrimmage. Even though no official score was kept, the teams played two scoreless 20-minute periods before Ben Myers and Nathan Smith scored for Team USA in a five-minute, three-on-three overtime period. Drew Commesso and Strauss Mann split time in goal for the Americans and did not allow a goal.
Why Canada will win
The Canadiens have one of the best centers of the last 20 years in Eric Staal. Now 37 and playing with Minnesota's AHL team, Staal serves as captain for Canada and brings his almost 1,300 regular-season NHL games and more than 1,000 points with him. In the 2019-20 season he scored 47 points in 66 games with the Wild.
In addition, Canada faces a United States team that is extremely young. The Americans feature five teenagers and are the youngest team in the tournament. Of the 25 players on the roster, 24 are playing in their first Olympics.
How to make USA vs. Canada men's hockey picks
Tierney is leaning over on the total, but his more confident pick is on one side. He believes a crucial X-factor that makes one side a must-back. He's sharing that pick and all of his Olympics 2022 predictions only at SportsLine.
Who wins USA vs. Canada on Friday? And what x-factor makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney's predictions for Canada vs. USA and the Beijing Winter Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who's covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in 2016, '18 and '21, and find out.
