Canada vs Kazakhstan Prediction: The opponents of incomparable level meet

Prediction for the Hockey World Cup Canada vs Kazakhstan match, which will take place on May 17. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Canada is the favorite team in any hockey tournament. The 2023 World Cup is no exception, although the Maple Leafs did not bring their star players. Nevertheless, already in the opening game, they left no chance for success to the Latvians, the hosts of the competition, smashing them 6:0. The Red and Black started operating less aggressively. Against Slovenia, they let their opponent get away with plenty of offense but still managed to beat their opponent 5:2 in the end. The day before, the Canadians lost one point and beat the Slovaks only in shootout action, 2:1.

The Kazakhstan national team continues to prepare for its main event of the 2023 World Cup. It is scheduled for May 22 against Slovenia, which will determine who will advance from Group B to the elite world division. The Blues and Yellows started the World Cup a year ago with six defeats in a row before beating Italy to remain in the top flight. Now they're in a much better position, having unexpectedly beaten the Norwegians 4:3 in their opening game at the tournament. The Kazakhs didn't succeed much, as they lost in turn to the Czechs and Swiss, 1:5 and 0:5, respectively, in the next two games.

Canada and Kazakhstan are opponents on incomparable levels. Naturally, the Maple Leafs are stronger than their opponents more than once. The Red and Black have brought far from the strongest squad to the 2023 World Cup, but they need to win the upcoming game convincingly. The day before, the North Americans had a rest day while the Kazakhs had to contend with the formidable Swiss, who had one of the most talented rosters in the tournament. So, we suggest betting on the victory of Canada with a handicap (-4.5).

Canada and Kazakhstan meet in the World Cup group stage for the third year in a row. In the two previous head-to-head encounters, the Kazakhs proved themselves offensively and conceded twice as much. In 2021, the Maple Leafs won 4:2, and at the 2022 World Cup, they were stronger - 6:3. And now they have nothing to lose; they clearly do not expect to score points in a battle with a more powerful opponent, and so can play at their pleasure. With this in mind, we'd suggest betting on a total over 7.5 and Tyler Toffoli's 1.5-point total.