Czechia led the way for us yesterday with the US giving a little back falling a goal short against Latvia. We get four games today and we will be buying into two of them. The middle games are goign to be two good tough matchups between four top teams. Team USA beat Finland in the semifinals last season in a tight matchup that ended 3-2. They are playing on a back to back after somewhat underperforming against the Latvians today. USA is going to make it to the bracket tournament so what they do from here on out is more for seeding. They have their two toughest group matchups coming with Finland and Canada on New Years Eve. Unless the US come out firing tomorrow in the first period then we may just be looking at a late game empty net situation. The value in their next two matchups isn’t there and there’s no need for us to force plays on -400 lines. Their team total at 3.5 is playable if they don’t score early in the first and it drops to 2.5. This will be a play as it goes game.
The same goes for Czechia against the Slovakian’s. Slovakia has underperformed so I will be looking at their team total of 3.5 to drop live. They are my dark horse this tournament even thought they aren’t really a dark horse, they just get no love. Czechia put on a clinic against the Kazakhstanis today and that momentum should carry into today. The books just continue to think they will play low scoring games and I’m not in that mindset. I will gage this live to try and get better lines on them but at the end of the day this should be their game. Slovakia went 3-1 last year in the group stage and beat the Czechs 6-2, but as I mentioned when the tournament began, this is not the same Slovakian team we saw last year.
Sweden squeaked out a narrow 3-2 win against the Swiss last year in the quarterfinals but they should fare better this year. The Swiss have played like the Slovakian’s should be playing defensively. In two games the Swiss have only given up 7 goals. That may sound like a lot, but in perspective the US has given up five. The Swiss are not scoring so Sweden should be able to coast this game out to an early 3/4-0-4-1 lead into the third. If the Swedes put up two early then we will be climbing their team total live.
This should be our spot to hit Canada. We have avoided them so far this tournament and it has been the right play. Their team total of 6.5 is a lot but they are coming off a bad loss to Latvia in a long shootout that saw them get embarrassed offensively. Germany has given up the second most goals in the tournament but should get on the board against the Canadian’s. I prefer to play the game total here of 7.5 with Canada’s team total being 6.5. If Germany gets two in this game we cash. If Germany gets one in this game we should still cash. If Germany gets shut out in this game then Canada could still get us there alone.
Official Plays:
- 12 pm Sweden -3 -150: 2u
- 12 pm Sweden team total over 4.5 -160: 2u
- 5 pm Czechia -1.5 -165: 3u
- 5 pm Czechia over 3.5 -165: 3u
- 7:30 pm Canada/Germany over 7.5 -165: 3u
