Now that the preliminary round of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics is complete, the playoff round is about to begin. And as expected with NHL players participating in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014, Canada and the United States are the cream of the crop in the sport.
The two superpowers were the only teams to win all three of their round-robin games and received a bye, along with Slovakia and defending Olympic champions Finland, to the quarterfinals. Their opponents will be determined on Tuesday when the remaining eight nations compete in the qualification round.
Top seed Canada will face the winner of the matchup between Czechia and Denmark, while a meeting with No. 2 seed Team USA is on the line when Sweden takes on Latvia. No. 3 Slovakia will battle either Germany or France, and No. 4 Finland awaits the survivor of the showdown between Switzerland and Italy.
The qualification winners will have little time to recover as the quarterfinals take place Wednesday. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, with the losers facing off for the bronze medal the following day and the winners playing for gold on Sunday.
Teams will be reseeded after the quarterfinals based on the preliminary round rankings, meaning Canada and the U.S. won’t clash until a medal is at stake, if at all. Considering how they breezed through their round-robin contests, it’s very likely they’ll be squaring off for gold.
Canada is the overwhelming favorite to claim its record 10th Olympic gold medal and first since 2014 as it is priced at -140 at most major sportsbooks. Team USA is listed between +195 and +220, while no other team is priced below +1000.
Below are my predictions for medals in the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament, as well as the teams’ current odds to earn a spot on the podium at DraftKings Sportsbook. For more Winter Olympics betting tips and advice, check out our Winter Olympics betting guide.
Olympic men’s hockey medal predictionsÂ
Gold – Canada (-1000 to win a medal)
The Canadians never were challenged in the preliminary round, winning each of their three games by at least four goals. Widely regarded as the best player on the planet, Connor McDavid has not disappointed in his first Olympics as he leads the tournament with nine points. The 29-year-old captain of the Edmonton Oilers has more assists (seven) than any other player has points (six). Teammates Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini both have recorded six points, along with Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky, while the 19-year-old Celebrini is tied with Germany’s Tim Stutzle for first in the Winter Games with four goals. Crosby and defenseman Drew Doughty helped Canada win gold in 2010 and 2014 while goaltender Jordan Binnington backstopped the club to the 4 Nations Face-Off title last year. Binnington, who guided the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup championship as a rookie in 2019, won both of his starts in these Olympics – including a 26-save shutout against Czechia, the Canadians’ potential opponent in the quarterfinals. Canada is -140 to win the gold medal at DraftKings, and the team hasn’t given me a reason to expect anything less.
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Silver – United States (-350 to win a medal)
Team USA also went undefeated in the preliminary round but didn’t do so as convincingly as Canada. The Americans faced a bit of a scare in their 6-3 victory against Denmark as they trailed by a goal after one period and led by just one after 40 minutes. Captain Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk have registered five points apiece for the U.S., with the former leading the club with three goals and all of the latter’s points being assists. Three-time Vezina Trophy winner and reigning Hart Trophy recipient Connor Hellebuyck has turned aside 40 of the 42 shots he faced in these Winter Games but will be in for his toughest test yet if Sweden defeats Latvia in the qualification round as expected. Team USA would then have to record one more victory before a potential showdown with Canada for the gold medal and I just don’t see it getting past McDavid, Crosby and company for its first Olympic title since 1980.
Bronze – Finland (-155 to win a medal)
Finland has one of the most balanced rosters in the Winter Games. All but two of Finland’s 22 skaters have recorded a point in the tournament, and neither of them appeared in all three games. Eleven players have scored at least one goal and there’s a four-way tie for the team lead of four points. Kaapo Kakko and Joel Armia each have netted two tallies and set up two others, while Sebastian Aho, Mikael Granlund and Joel Kiviranta also have scored twice. Juuse Saros has played every minute in goal for the Finns and has allowed a total of one goal over his last two outings. Finland’s quarterfinal opponent will likely be Switzerland, which should get past an Italian squad that gave Slovakia a tough time in the preliminary round but was demolished 11-0 by the Finns in its last contest. The Finns were upset 4-1 by the Slovakians in their Olympic opener, which cost them the top seed in their group, but rebounded by defeating Sweden by the same score and trouncing Italy. Sweden and Czechia will meet the two juggernauts should they advance to the quarterfinals and while it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Swedes upset the Americans, I believe Finland and Slovakia join Canada and the U.S. in the semifinals and ultimately battle for the bronze. I’d give Saros the edge over Samuel Hlavaj in goal, meaning the Finns medal for the seventh time in the last nine Winter Olympics.
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