It’s the rematch everyone has been waiting for. Canada vs USA. The only change is that this rematch is in the semifinal game, when prior to the tournament everyone was expecting a repeat of last years finals with the Canadian World Junior squad attempting to get revenge from last years disappointing overtime loss. Both Canada and the United States haven’t looked as good as expected in this tournament, which makes this game all the more interesting.
Canada vs United States
Canada +1.5 (+180)
United States -1.5 (-240)
As you can see the Canadians are huge dogs, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
Canada defeated Switzerland 4-1, while the States could only manage a 2-1 victory. Also, Canada defeated Russia 6-3, who went on to defeat the Finns in overtime in the other quarterfinal game, while the Finns also lost to the United States in overtime. Purely looking at the scores from the games played in this tournament, team Canada should be slight favourites to win this semifinal tonight.
Team Canada goaltending has not looked sharp thusfar and this could be an area where the USA could take advantage. Vistentin will likely be back between the pipes for Canada and he will need to have a solid game to give the Canadian players confidence in front of him.
Canada has lost Schwartz this tournament, while the USA have suffered injuries in the tournament, primarily against Slovakia, but these players look healthy enough to play tonight against Canada.
This game will be a tight affair and could go either way, but the line is ridiculous and anyone reading this should take advantage of this crazy line that pays out $180 on every $100 wagered if Canada wins OR if they lose by 1 goal. You can’t beat that line.
My Pick: Team Canada (+1.5) +180 (Sportsbook.com)
***EDIT***
As it turns out Sportsbook.com had made a mistake on the lines and they are now adjusted to the following:
Canada (-1.5) +180
USA (+1.5) -240
These lines look much more accurate with Canada the favourites as this post outlined that they should be. This just goes to show that it is possible for online sportsbooks to make mistakes and for bettors like you and I to get great lines because of these mistakes.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Canada • IIHF • USA • World Juniors