Canada vs Denmark Prediction: The Maple Leafs won't allow a second consecutive misfire

On 23 May 2022, the next Ice Hockey World Championship match between Canada and Denmark will take place in Helsinki, Finland.

Canada

Canada is the reigning world champion and has been given every opportunity to defend its title. The Maple Leafs were without a single top-level opponent in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, as the IIHF disqualified Russia. Nevertheless, the team found a challenging opponent—the Swiss national team, whom the Canadians lost (3:6). Fortunately, before that, the Red and Black had been without losses in the tournament, having beaten the Germans, Italians, Slovaks, and Kazakhs by turns with a total score of 22:8, which allowed them to move into second place in the Group A standings.

Denmark

The year 2022 is looking great for the Danish national team. It had long been forgotten that the Danes were severe playoff contenders, but they reached the quarter-finals at the Olympics and are now on course to repeat their success at the 2022 World Cup. In the five games, the Vikings managed to clinch three victories over Kazakhstan, Italy, and France with a combined score of 14:2, which is not bad at all, but they lost to Switzerland and Germany 0:6 and 0:1, respectively. Heinz Ehlers' side is currently sitting in fourth place in the standings.

Expert Betting Tips

The Canadian and Danish teams have very different goals at major international tournaments, so now they approach the encounter with their own goals in mind. The Maple Leafs will make the play-offs, but now they need to make amends for last week's defeat to the Swiss. For the Vikings, the upcoming meeting decides nothing. The key match will be in the seventh round when they fight for the top-4 with the Slovaks. As a result, we have to bet on a Canadian victory with a handicap (-2.5) at about 1.62.

Claude Julien's charges have already scored 25 goals (5.00 on average per game) in five games, which is an excellent figure. It is unlikely that the Danish national team will play hard in the upcoming match. After all, the central meeting is ahead, so their main goalkeeper, Sebastian Dam, may get a well-deserved rest. On this basis, the best option for the prediction seems to be an individual total of Canada over 4.5 pucks for 2.40.

Kent Johnson is a young forward playing his third major tournament for Canada in 2022. First, he played two games at the World Youth Championship, where he managed to score a goal before the competition was postponed. He then scored a goal and four assists in five games at the Olympics. Now, he again impresses at the Senior World Championships, scoring three goals and two assists. The 19-year-old hockey player is obviously in great shape, so it may be worth taking a bet on Kent Johnson's Total Over 0.5 for 1.85.

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