Canada vs Switzerland World Juniors Odds and Picks
- Canada (2-0) is a 5.5-goal favorite over Switzerland (0-2) in their World Junior Tournament Group A game on Tuesday
- The Canadians have wins over Slovakia and Germany; Switzerland lost to Slovakia and Finland
- See the odds, spread and betting analysis for the game below
Two games into the World Junior Tournament, Canada has done the necessary deeds. Switzerland can only draw upon moral victories from its two games.
Canada crushed a short-staffed Germany 16-2 in its tournament opener on Saturday. The Canadians followed up by earning a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Slovakia on Sunday.
The Swiss lost 1-0 to those same Slovaks in their tourney opener on Friday. They followed up by suffering a 4-1 setback at the hands of Finland on Sunday.
Canada is heavily favored to hand the Swiss their third successive defeat when the two countries meet on Tuesday. The Canadians are 5.5-goal favorites over Switzerland.
Switzerland vs Canada Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | OFF | +5.5 (-120) | O 7.5 (-182) |
| Canada | OFF | -5.5 (-115) | U 7.5 (+135) |
Odds as of Dec 28th taken from BetMGM.
The puck drops for Tuesday’s game at 6pm EST. The contest is being broadcast live by the NHL Network.
Canadian Dominance
They didn’t crush the Slovaks in the same manner as the COVID-19 depleted Germans. However, Canada was dominating in every aspect of the game.
It was only the work of Slovak goaltender Samuel Hlavaj that held the Canadians at bay. He blocked 20 of 22 shots.
A smothering Slovakian defensive system clogged up entries into the zone, making it difficult for Canada to create more offensively. Canada was equally stout in the defensive end, limiting Slovakia to just eight shots over the first two periods.
The Slovaks made a push in the final frame. Canadian goalie Devon Levi, celebrating his 19th birthday, blocked nine of 10 Slovakian shots to preserve the win.
Swiss Missing
Trips to the penalty box punished the Swiss against Finland. The Finns netted three of their four goals while on the power play.
Swiss goalie Thibault Fatton made 39 saves. The Finns outshot Switzerland 43-14. Attilio Biasca tallied Switzerland’s first goal, also during a power play.
The Swiss reached the quarter-finals of last year’s tourney. They were semi-finalists in 2019. Off to an 0-2 start, they’ll be hard-pressed to equal such a performance this year.
In order to not begin the tourney 0-3, the Swiss will be required to make history. This will be their 24th tournament meeting with Canada. The Canadians are 23-0 against Switzerland.
It should be noted, however, that two of Canada’s last three victories over the Swiss were one-goal decisions.
Canadians Run Deep
Two games into the tournament, Canada’s depth is proving quite evident. Even minus captain Kirby Dach (broken wrist) the Canadians have potted 19 goals.
Against Slovakia, defenseman Braden Schneider (suspension) and forward Dylan Holloway (upper body injury) were added to the missing in action. Jordan Spence, a healthy scratch against the Germans, slotted into the lineup and scored the first goal against Slovakia.
🇨🇦 head coach Andre Tourigny, this morning, on the Braden Schneider hit:
"The size between the two players is a big factor. I won't lie, I didn't review the clip 22 times … we don't want, obviously, a hit to the head, but I think it was a hockey play" https://t.co/NgmvI5xKxr
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 27, 2020
Canada’s Dylan Cozens (3-4-7) leads the tournament in scoring. He enjoyed a six-point outburst in the rout of the Germans. Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram are serving as alternating captains in Dach’s absence.
Teammate Phil Tomasino (3-2-5) and Dawson Mercer (2-3-5) are among a group tied for second in scoring. They were both projected as a fourth-line players for Canada at the outset of the world juniors.
Five Canadian players have each outscored the entire Swiss team.
On the other hand, Canada has only beaten the Swiss by more than three goals once in their last five tournament games. Don’t put too much emphasis on the German game. The Germans suited up just 14 skaters due to COVID-19 positives.
The respective games against Slovakia are the much better comparable.
Pick: Swizerland +5.5 (-120).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
