Finland vs Canada Prediction: Suomi will regain the championship title

On 29 May 2022, the Finnish city of Tampere will host the final match of the Ice Hockey World Championship between Finland and Canada at the Nokia Arena.

Finland has reached their fourth consecutive final at major international tournaments. After winning gold at the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 Olympics and silver at the 2021 World Cup, they reached the final at home. Suomi took six of their seven group stage victories, but the play-offs were not relatively as easy. In the quarter-final against Slovakia, the Finns lost 0:2 but eventually clinched a 4:2 win. In the semi-final, the Blues and Whites were again beaten by the USA, but again managed to win with a score of 4:3.

Canada is the reigning world champion and is close to defending its title. In the group stage of the tournament, the Maple Leafs suffered two losses against Switzerland and Denmark, 3:6 and 2:3, respectively, but in the end, they still qualified for the play-offs from third place. In the quarterfinals, they were losing without a chance to the Swedish national team after two periods - 0:3, but during the third twenty minutes, they managed to get back and snatched the victory - 4:3. The semi-final against the Czech Republic was much easier for the Red-Blacks, who had no problem taking on their opponents - 6:1, reaching the main game of the tournament.

Finland and Canada have reached their third consecutive World Cup final. In the previous two decisive games, the opponents had exchanged victories, and in the upcoming battle, the favorites are the Suomi, who will not only play on home ice but also have a more balanced and well-rounded squad. Moreover, Jukka Jalonen's men played their semi-final game a few hours earlier than the Maple Leafs, which is also important when the final takes place the next day. As a result, we're betting on Finland to win at around 2.40.

Finland played their best defensive game of the year in the 2022 World Cup group stage, conceding just five goals in seven games. Still, in the playoffs, Suomi's defense began to misfire, but their attack continued to score even more, so they beat Slovakia and the USA 4:2 and 4:3, respectively, in the knockout rounds. In the playoffs, Canada also beat Sweden and the Czech Republic, 4:3 and 6:1, respectively. As a result, we can expect a total over 4.5 for 1.888.

Marko Anttila is one of the most important players for the Finnish national team, as he can be productive in defense. However, he is a fourth-string forward and valuable for the attack, especially in decisive games. He scored the winning goals in the 2019 World Cup playoffs, and at the 2022 World Cup, he scored the winning goal against Slovakia in a game in which Suomi failed to make any progress. In such a situation, we can beton Marko Anttila's Total Over 0.5 for 8.

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