Time for hosts to claim what is rightfully theirs
THE preliminaries have been played. The seeding has been set. And wow, what a difference a day can make. Canada, previously the hands down favorite to win the gold medal is now ranked sixth going into the playoff rounds after being stunned by the Americans in a 5-3 loss.
Swedes should – but may not – edge tight game
A REMATCH of the 2006 Gold Medal game, this one will be high intensity from the start.
Only nuttiest bettors will be backing Belarus
WHILE Belarus may have had a chance against the ailing Finns, the outcome of this game is all but predetermined. The Swedes have a roster stacked with NHLers, and will be the Vancouver crowd’s second choice after Team Canada as they feature hometown hero’s Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
Swedes should provide easy return if backed
DEFENDING champions Sweden will likely look to make a statement in their opening match of the tournament, and perennial tournament losers Germany are not likely to be able to do much to stop them.
The current gold medalists are third ranked favorites to win the tournament and clear odds on favorites in this game at -270 and for good reason. They have a wealth of Olympic experience with 13 players returning from their 2006 Gold Medal winning team in Torino.
Why betting on Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics could be one of February’s best deals.
DESPITE taking gold at the last Winter Olympic Games and having a roster littered with NHL stars, Sweden is being viewed by bookies like Sportsbook.com as a six to one outsider for this year’s Olympics, making a wager on the Scandinavians all the more attractive.
Compared to front runners Canada and Russia – ranked as even-money and two to one respectively – Sweden has so far failed to gain the admiration of those writing the odds, although they finished first four years ago in Turin. With a month left to go before the games begin, bookies have Sweden at the unlikely odds of six to one to win the competition outright.
