Predictions and odds on Denmark's performance at the 2022 Hockey World Championship

Denmark have never qualified from the group in the last four World Cups. Will Heinz Ehlers' team be able to break their losing streak at the 2022 World Cup? We predict that the Vikings can now get to the playoffs.

The Danish national team became a regular participant in the world's strongest division only at the beginning of the 21st century, and since then, they have been incredibly stable. Over the past 18 world championships, the Vikings have made the playoffs only twice, both times falling in the quarterfinals and finishing in eighth place, and in the remaining 16 times, they finished 10th to 14th in the overall standings. So it turns out that they do not make it to the top 8, but they also escape relegation every time.

At the last World Cup in Riga 2021, Heinz Ehlers's wards played in their usual way, finishing in the 12th place. It seemed that the Vikings could not count on anything serious at the Beijing Olympics either, but it turned out to be different. To begin with, the Red and Whites beat the Czech Republic and Switzerland 2-1 and 5-3 respectively in the group, before losing to Russia 0-2 in a persistent struggle. In the last 16, they got past Latvia 3-2 before losing to the same Russians in the quarterfinals, but again in a bitter struggle, 1-3.

In preparations for the 2022 World Cup, the Danish national team played eight friendly matches. The Vikings lost twice to the Finns - 3:4 and 0:1, and two more times to the Swedes - 1:6 and 2:3. In games against the Norwegians, Heinz Ehlers' side was 2-0 and 3-1 winners before twice losing to Great Britain, 2-0 and 8-0. Three victories in their last four encounters should give the Red and Whites confidence in their abilities, while tough encounters with the Finns and Swedes will make them confident that they can be beaten.

The Danish team is a team that constantly sensationalizes at major international tournaments. For example, at the 2021 World Cup, the Red and Whites defeated Sweden in regulation time and only lost to the Czech Republic in a shootout. At the 2022 Olympics, the Vikings beat the very same Czechs and Swiss in the group and then eliminated the Latvians in the playoffs. At the 2022 World Cup, they will again have every chance to put pressure on Switzerland, create a sensation in the game with Canada, and quietly score points in games against Kazakhstan, Italy, and France. As a result, we need to bet on Total Under 9.5 points for the Danish national team for 1.65.

Looking at their performance at the Beijing Olympics, they are poised to succeed at the 2022 World Cup in Finland. Heinz Ehlers' men had too good a tournament in the Chinese capital, where they did not allow a single failure in five games and even lost in some tough battles. The Red and Whites have no world stars, but they play very commanding, disciplined, and evenly, which is especially important in such short-term tournaments. With this in mind, it is worth taking a chance and placing a bet on Denmark to reach the knockout stage for 2.50.

Returning to the organization of the game of the national team of Denmark, it is worth paying special attention to their defense. There is a high probability that the place on the last line of defense will be taken by the experienced Sebastian Dahm, who played brilliantly at the Olympics in Beijing, and at the world championships, he is always number one. The Vikings allowed just 11 goals in five games at the 2022 Olympics, although the opposition was formidable, and they allowed just 15 goals in seven games in the last World Cup. All this suggests that their defensive formation will work reliably now, so a bet on the Danes' Total Under 18.5 goals conceded in the group for 1.85 is worth looking at.

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