Published Feb 10, 4:17am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 10, 4:17am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Feb 10, 4:17am ET
Hockey at the Winter Olympics gets underway in Milan on Feb 11, and you can find the odds and our Sweden vs. Italy picks here.
As the host nation, there will be slight pressure on the Italians to upset the odds at the Olympics, but they could find the fight to finish in one of the top two qualifying spots tricky.
Sweden has long been one of the best European hockey nations, and they will be aiming to showcase their talent on opening night in Group B.
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|
|---|---|
| Italy | +3000 |
| Sweden | -20000 |
Jukka Jalonen will be aware of the challenge awaiting his Italian side in the Group Stage at the Winter Olympics, as Italy will be the outsiders to progress.
Italy will be making their return to the event for the first time since 2006, where they finished eleventh under Michel Goulet. The nation’s best showing in the event came in 1956 when finishing seventh.
There is little to support the chances of an upset on matchday one, having finished 18th in Division I, Group A in the World Championships last year. Furthermore, Italy are winless in their 24 previous games against Sweden.
Sam Hallam’s Sweden will be among the leading contenders to win the gold medal at this year’s Winter Olympics. Tre Kronor have underperformed at the event in recent years, finishing fourth in 2022.
However, they were silver medallists in 2014, and won golds in 1994 and 2006. Sweden have taken the bronze medal in the last two editions of the World Championships, but this will be their first major competition under Hallam.
NHL stars will be evident throughout their squad, including Elias Lindholm of the Boston Bruins and captain Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames.
| TOTAL | Italy | Sweden | DRAWS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINS | 24 | 0 | 24 | - |
| GOALS | 197 | 31 | 166 |
Sweden will be incredibly short to open their Winter Olympics campaign with a win. We fully expect them to make their dominance count, and the only value in the betting could come in the form of the spread.
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Pick
Sweden (-5.5)
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