Canada vs Austria Prediction: the Champ Starts With a Victory

Prediction for the Hockey World Championship 2024 match between Canada vs Austria, which will take place on May 14th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Canada is playing as the reigning world champions. The Maple Leafs keep winning titles even without a star-studded roster. They didn't call up all the available celebrities this time either. Still, Connor Bedard, Owen Power, Dawson Mercer, and Dylan Cozens have already arrived at the tournament, and John Tavares made his debut the day before. Of course, the Reds and Blacks won't show their full potential at the group stage, so we saw a modest victory over the British 4-2 and 5-1 over the Danes.

The Austrian team has had a strange past few years, moving through the two divisions. Staying in the top tier was too challenging for them, so they moved up to the second-strongest one, where they were too dominant and got promoted right away. Recently, the team has established itself as one of the best teams since Belarus and Russia have been suspended. Their main task is not to drop out, and the key game will be the final round against the British. Meanwhile, the Austrians got off to a rough start with a 1-5 loss to Denmark. The day before, they put up a fight against Switzerland but came up short in the last minute, failing 5-6.

The teams are indeed at different skill levels and have different ambitions. While enjoying the group stage, the Maple Leafs are also showing a steady improvement from game to game. The victories over the British (4-2) and the Danes (5-1) are a testament to this. They will undoubtedly find their rhythm as the World Cup progresses. On the other hand, the Austrians have suffered tough losses in their last two H2H meetings, 1-1-0 and 0-6.

Despite facing weaker opponents, the Canadians conceded three goals (1.50 on average). This is a significant improvement from the last championship, where they didn't score a single goal in the opening game against Latvia and lost 6-0. Now, the Eagles have a chance to showcase their offense, having won the last four H2H meetings. This sets the stage for an exciting showdown for goals.