Manuel Chávez
Dailysports's expert
Canada
Austria
On May 15, Canada and Austria will face off at the Ice Hockey World Championship. Here’s my take on the best bet for this matchup.
Canada
As usual, the Canadians arrived at the World Championship as one of the tournament favorites. The "Maple Leafs" have lived up to expectations so far, winning every game at this event. They opened with a commanding 4-0 victory over Slovenia, had no trouble in their second match with a 7-1 rout of Latvia, and cruised past France in their most recent outing, 5-0.
Canada boasts a powerhouse roster, featuring star players—including the living legend himself, Sidney Crosby, who’s already racked up 4 points with a goal and three assists. It’s hard to gauge the team’s true form, though, as they haven’t yet faced any real heavyweights.
Austria
Austria has looked decent in terms of play at this tournament, even if their results haven’t reached great heights. The team opened with a narrow 1-2 defeat to a strong Finnish squad. The Austrians nearly pulled off a huge upset against Sweden, but conceded three goals in the final two minutes to ultimately fall 2-4.
Against Slovakia, Austria went up 2-0, but their opponents drew level, pushing the game to a shootout where the Austrians emerged victorious. The team sits sixth in the group; while a playoff spot is still mathematically possible, it’s a tough ask—they should probably focus on retaining their spot in the division.
Match facts
- Canada is riding a three-game winning streak, with a 16:1 goal differential.
- Austria has yet to win a game in regulation at this tournament.
- The odds for this clash are: Canada win – 1.03, Draw – 15, Austria win – 31.
H2H
The teams last met at last year’s World Championship group stage. Canada was up 6-1, but Austria stunned everyone with five third-period goals to force overtime—only for Canada to snatch victory just 15 seconds into OT, 7-6.
Prediction
There’s little intrigue expected in this pairing—Canada is clearly a cut above. The only real question is the margin of victory for the favorites. Still, Austria hasn’t looked hopeless and could put up a respectable fight. I’m expecting an entertaining battle and recommend betting on over 6 total goals scored.
