Olympic Hockey Betting Previews – Canada vs USA

February 21, 2010 in Breaking News, Canada, Favourites, Hot Picks & Tips, USA by john

Canadian swagger may be the undoing of the hosts

CLEARLY the most exciting matchup of the preliminary round, Canada vs. USA will have hockey fans across the world loudly debating up to the opening face off.

Sure, the Canadians are all-world at every position and could ice a squad of backups that could be competitive against any team, but the Americans bring considerable firepower to the tournament and goaltending that may be superior to the Canadians for the first time in memory.

The NHL sized Ice and home-crowd will favor neither team as both sides are looking to take advantage of them against their European opponents. A considerable number of travelling and ex-pat Americans will be in attendance, providing for a very lively stadium atmosphere.

The last time that these two sets of players were together was the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship. In that tournament, the Canadians were touted as history’s best junior team, led by Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, Dion Phaneuf and the great Sidney Crosby.

The US side was nearly as impressive, boasting Phil Kessel, Drew Stafford and Ryan Callahan. The Americans fell short against mighty Russia in the semi-finals and never had the chance to take on Canada. That chance comes again, this time backstopped by Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas and led by veteran talent in the form of Mike Modano.

Canada looked shaky against the inferior Swiss team, giving up a two-goal lead in the second period. Had it not been for the heroics of Sidney ‘the Kid’ Crosby during the shootout, as well as Marty Brodeur redeeming himself for his second period collapse, Canada may be at 1-1 and in second place in group A, trailing the Americans.

The Canadian swagger may prove to be their undoing as they will have slashed through the competition up until now. Visions of impending Gold may cloud their focus and a determined US team, motivated primarily by the intention to dethrone Canada could very well upset the undisputed tournament favorites.

An American win will pay handsomely, but pay close attention to both teams’ health as injuries could play a significant role in the outcome.

Canada face the USA at 4.40pm in Canada Hockey Place on Sunday, February 21. If you think you can pick a winner and like money, we highly recommend placing your wagers through Sportsbook.com or Bodog.