Canada vs Finland Prediction: The risk of mistakes will be minimised

Prediction for the IIHF World Championship Canada vs Finland match which will take place on May 18th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Canada continues to have fun in the group stage of the World Championship. It's extremely rare for the Maple Leafs to be even half as good as they are at this stage of the tournament, but we're sure to see a different quality of hockey from them in the playoffs. They struggled in the opening game but still managed to beat the Brits 4:2. They went on to beat the Danes 5:1. They were almost embarrassed against the Austrians, conceding five goals in the third period but still won 7:6 in OT. The day before, the Canadians had a pragmatic 4:1 win over the Norwegians to maintain their top spot in Group A. They now face games against Finland, Switzerland, and the Czechs on a completely different level.

Finland is a much stricter and more responsible team, one that strives to give their best in every game, even in the group stage, and often qualifies for the highest places as a result. The 2024 World Championship is clearly out of the question. In their opening game, Jukka Jalonen's wards played classic hockey against the Czechs, going 65 minutes without a goal before losing 1:0 on penalties. Finland defeated Great Britain and Norway with ease - 8:0 and 4:1. It looked as if the battle against the Austrians would be just as easy for them, as they scored twice in the first period but then faltered and lost 3:2. The Finns are now fourth in Group A.

Canada and Finland at the IIHF World Championship 2024 have yet to show the kind of play that has allowed them to alternate winning the last four World Championships. There's no doubt that the Maple Leafs will improve as the tournament progresses, as they rarely show their real power in the group stages, but they can play seriously in the upcoming clash. On the other hand, Finland is used to playing with a good attitude in every game, but even that has not been enough to beat the Czechs and Austrians. They also look to have more class and skill, so they should be closer to success. 

At major international tournaments, Canada and Finland rarely spoil spectators with high-scoring action. In eight previous encounters, the rivals have combined to score just 34 goals (an average of 4.25 per game) - a very modest output. The game is unlikely to be an open affair. Both teams are about to start a run of big games, so there shouldn't be any problems with attitude and the risk of mistakes will be minimised, as will the number of goals scored.