Ice Hockey World Championship, match for 3rd place on Sunday, 31.05.2026, 15:30
It was clear that the Scandinavians would be eliminated. But the fact that Canada would give up in the semi-finals has deeply shaken the motherland of ice hockey after the Olympic final in February, which has already been lost.
In my Canada Norway tip, meanwhile, I expect that the selection of Norway 2+ goals at odds of about 1.80 will prove to be a real stroke of luck for sports betting fans.
Because the match for 3rd place is not very enjoyable for the Maple Leafs, who are used to success. For Norway, on the other hand, it is the opportunity to celebrate the best World Championship ranking of all time. In addition, the joint preliminary round match ended with a narrow 6-5 victory for Team Canada.
At the end of the day, this World Cup happened exactly as I told you in my Switzerland Finland tip in the preliminary round: These two nations would meet again in the final!
Norway was clearly demonstrated by the ice comrades in the semi-finals, but could still lose this afternoon with a lower result than the bookmakers currently assume.
In any case, the selection of victory Norway with handicap +3.5 at odds of currently 1.70 would not be unfounded. Because the host was the only team that could beat them at this tournament by more than one goal. I also expect a rather listless performance from Canada.
Games for 3rd place are usually games in which the puck is hammered into the goal more often than in any other round of play.
Since I already assume at least two goals for the Scandinavians in my Canada Norway tip, you can probably imagine that I expect several goals from the Maple Leafs even with only 70 percent commitment.
In terms of potential goalscorers, 12 Canadian players are currently rated as more realistic scorers on the betting markets than the top Norwegian scorer – Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
Personally, I decided quite quickly for the bet Celebrini meets Canada Norway odds of currently 1.82, because the bookmakers have also realized how high the probability of a goal of the shooting star is in view of this rather low value.
Because the man from the San Jose Sharks has already scored six goals and only needs one more to overtake Rudolfs Balcers in the fight for the award of the tournament’s top scorer.
In the last 26 years, it has only happened twice that a Norwegian selection has been able to beat the motherland of ice hockey. The last time was at the 2023 World Championship with a 3-2 overtime victory.
Do you know what I noticed statistically in this context and plays into the cards of my Canada Norway tip? In three of the last four direct duels, the Scandinavian underdog managed to score at least two goals.
Conclusion: The disappointment among the Canadians is huge after missing out on the final. Consequently, it will take a while for them to recover mentally and at least secure third place.
However, the preliminary round has already proven that the Scandinavians should not be underestimated. If the North Americans really only half-heartedly get down to business here, then they have scored two goals in no time.
