Olympic Men, Semi-finals on Friday, 20.02.2026, 21:10
Do you know what I’m seeing here? I see exactly the same starting position as before the game of the “Maple Leafs” against the Czech Republic: a talented team, but not equipped with a lot of NHL power, which firmly believes in itself and can even topple a favorite for gold!
Accordingly, I believe in the sensation in my USA Slovakia tip, I can even increase one euro tenfold if the Eastern Europeans should actually have the upper hand within 60 minutes.
And you know what? I definitely believe that the underdog can win this magnitude, as they were able to defeat the reigning champion Finland 4-1 in the opening game.
The Americans had to tremble quite a bit in the quarterfinals. The Swedes forced them into overtime, from which they almost wouldn’t have been successful if Hughes hadn’t been there to score the 2-1 winning goal.
By the way, if you think my USA Slovakia tip is too daring for a bit, then there is still the option to win Slovakia with HC +2.5 goals at odds of about 1.98, which cushions the risk a lot.
In any case, the Eastern Europeans are quite capable of standing up to the United States due to their athleticism, fitness and uncompromising approach to the boards.
The strong 4-1 victory over Finland right at the beginning of the Olympic Games was already a fierce exclamation mark in this context!
Because in my eyes this is a 50:50 thing, but for which you are promised almost exactly a tripling of the stake. If the Eastern Europeans take their chances early, then an early 1:0 is even likely!
The United States proved in the quarter-finals that they had a hard time against a high-quality side like Sweden, and even the Tkachuk brothers couldn’t do everything in front of goal!
What I also like is the selection Slovakia over 2.5 goals. Sure, they probably won’t be able to score six goals like they did against Germany at this tournament, but this team has proven to have more offensive potential than the bookmakers suspect.
You know, we can actually save ourselves the direct comparison. I could tell you that the Slovaks won both the last meeting together at a World Cup and at the Olympics, but that would be misleading.
On both occasions, the United States did not compete with nearly as much quality as in the Milano-Cortina Games.
Nevertheless, pure class is not an automatic guarantee for success, as you have to function as a team on the ice first and foremost – and especially in this point I see the Slovaks as having a slight advantage.
Conclusion: This will be a really tight box, so tight that my USA Slovakia tip was relatively easy for me.
The bookmakers massively overestimate the dream team line-up of the North Americans and underestimate the qualities of the supposedly blatant underdog.
The Eastern Europeans play passionately, harmonize wonderfully and carry out their checks with intensity until the end – and that for 60 minutes non-stop!
I’ll tell you: There’s more than just bronze in it for “Team Slovakia” this time!
