Russia vs Canada: The Maple Leafs will put up a good fight against the hosts of the tournament

The first and last encounter between the Russians and Canadians in the Euro Hockey Tour ended with a 2-0 victory for the Red Machine. Will the Maple Leafs be able to take revenge? We predict that the Canadians will be closer to success this time!

The Russian national team continues to prepare for the Olympics in Beijing. This time, the coaching staff led by Alexei Zhamnov will personally lead the country’s national team, where all the strongest players from the KHL have been called up. Alas, not everyone made it to the Channel One Cup. Over the past week, Anton Slepyshev, Andriy Kuzmenko, Dmitri Voronkov and Stanislav Galiev sustained injuries. Nikita Gusev missed the last workouts, but there is still a chance for him to participate in the tournament. During the first round of the Euro Hockey Tour, the youth team represented the Russian national team, which lost to Finland and Sweden 3:0 and 4:2 respectively but defeated the Czech Republic 5:2.

Team Canada has already participated in the Euro Hockey Tour, so the Maple Leafs’ current visit to Moscow cannot be called a unique event. Exactly four years ago, in December 2017, the North Americans already played in the Channel One Cup, but then this team was also preparing for the Olympics, as the NHL did not release their players. All indications are that the league will respond in kind to allowing its athletes to Beijing. There is still the possibility of rejection, so Claude Julien will try a European version of the Canadian team in the Russian capital. The backbone will consist of players from the KHL, diluted with hockey players from the German and Swedish championship, while Jason Demers and Eric Fehr remain without a club.

Russia and Canada have met once before in the Euro Hockey Tour. In the Channel One Cup on 16 December 2017, Oleg Znarok’s wards won 2-1.

Team Canada lost in their first-ever match against the Russians at the Euro Hockey Tour, but the squad from four years ago was noticeably inferior in skill to the gang that Claude Julien has now invited in. At the same time, the Russian ice squad also suffered serious personnel losses before the start of Channel One, as four key players were injured and will not play in the tournament. All this gives the Maple Leafs a great chance to take revenge for their past failure, so a bet on Canada not losing in regulation time for 1.71 is in order.

Looking back at the last head-to-head encounter, it is also worth noting the very modest scoring activity. There were only zeros during the first two periods, while the Russians won the game thanks to two unanswered goals in the third quarter. The upcoming encounter is expected to be more productive, as Alexei Zhamnov and Claude Julien have invited extremely attacking lineups for their national teams, selecting players in the attacking lineup in full order. At the same time, the defence and goalkeeping crews are questionable. With that in mind, Total Over 5.5 pucks for 2.00 appears to be the best option for our prediction.

Josh Currie is a forward for Magnitogorsk Metallurg, who made a move to the KHL before the current season but has spent minimal time adjusting and has been useful for the Steelers since his first game. In 39 games played, he’s already amassed 22 points (9 goals + 13 assists), which is not his limit. The forward will be indispensable for the European national team of Canada, as in addition to decent efficiency, he does not avoid the power play, runs well on defence and has leadership qualities, as the captain of Pittsburgh’s farm club last year. In such a situation, a bet on Josh Currie’s Total Over 0.5-point for 2.10 is worth a closer look.