Finland vs Slovakia Prediction, Props, Odds & Lines for Olympic Hockey Bronze Medal Game (Feb. 21)

• Finland are -330 favorites over Slovakia in Saturday’s Olympic bronze medal game
• The Finns nearly upset Canada in the semifinal, while Slovakia was blown out 6-2 by the United States
• I’ve made my Finland vs Slovakia prediction for Saturday’s matchup at Milano Santagiulia Arena, plus odds, props and projected lines below

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It’s not the medal game either team wanted, but there’s still hardware up for grabs. Finland and Slovakia meet Saturday afternoon with the Olympic bronze medal on the line after both dropped their semifinal matchups on Friday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The two sides opened the tournament against each other, with Slovakia pulling off a 4-1 upset despite Finland controlling over 65% of the scoring chances. Now it’s round two, and online sportsbooks aren’t expecting a repeat, listing the Finns as heavy favorites in the latest Olympic hockey odds.

Puck drop is set for 2:40 pm ET from Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, with USA Network and CBC providing the broadcast coverage.

Here’s my Finland vs Slovakia prediction, along with the latest odds, props and projected lines for Saturday’s bronze medal game.

Finland vs Slovakia Prediction

• Finland -1.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

I know Slovakia won the head-to-head earlier in the tournament, but that game was deceiving. Finland outshot the Slovaks 40-25 and controlled nearly two-thirds of the scoring chances. It was 1-1 after two periods before a power-play goal and an empty-netter made it look more lopsided than it was.

Since that loss, Finland has been on a tear. They beat Sweden and Switzerland before pushing Canada to the absolute limit in the semifinal, taking a 2-0 lead on goals from Mikko Rantanen and Erik Haula before the Canadians mounted a furious comeback. Juuse Saros stopped 36 of 39 shots against the best offensive team in the tournament.

Slovakia hasn’t looked nearly as sharp since that opening upset. They lost 5-3 to Sweden and were never competitive in Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Americans. Samuel Hlavaj got pulled early after allowing four goals, and his .915 save percentage at the Olympics is propped up by his earlier games against weaker competition.

Finland is just deeper. They roll out NHL stars across all four lines, while Slovakia has leaned heavily on Juraj Slafkovsky and Dalibor Dvorsky for almost all of their offense. I expect Finland to come out angry after the semifinal heartbreak, and I don’t see Saros letting this one slip away with a medal on the line.

Finland vs Slovakia Prop Bets

Anytime Goalscorer, Shots & Points Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Seven of the top 10 anytime goal scorers are Finnish, and it’s easy to see why. Slafkovsky leads the Slovak side at +200, but his 3+ shots line is the heaviest favorite on the board at -225 after putting up 22 shots in five games. Here are my three Finland vs Slovakia prop picks for Saturday.

• Mikko Rantanen anytime goal scorer (+125 at FanDuel)

Rantanen has been one of the most dangerous players in Milan, and he showed it on Friday by ripping a one-timer over Jordan Binnington’s glove just three seconds into a power play off a clean faceoff win by Sebastian Aho. That’s his second goal of the tournament to go along with six total points.

He ranks in the 98th percentile for high-danger shots at the Olympics, and Slovakia’s penalty kill will need to be perfect to keep him off the board. Hlavaj has a career-best of just .904 in the AHL, which makes Rantanen’s plus-money price even more appealing.

• Juraj Slafkovsky anytime goal scorer (+200 at FanDuel)

If you’re looking for Slovakia’s best chance at a goal, it runs through Slafkovsky. The 21-year-old has four goals and eight points in the tournament, with 22 shots on goal. He now has 11 goals in 12 Olympic games dating back to Beijing, making him just the fourth player to reach 10 Olympic goals before turning 22.

He scored two goals in the opener against Finland, so we know he can get to Saros. The +200 price offers solid value for a player who’s been Slovakia’s entire offense in Milan.

• Sebastian Aho Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-118 at FanDuel)

Aho centers Finland’s top line alongside Lehkonen and Rantanen, and with Finland expected to dominate possession like they did in the first meeting (40-25 in shots), he should have no trouble generating looks. I’m not overthinking this one at -118.

Finland vs Slovakia Odds

Odds as of Feb. 20 at FanDuel.

Finland’s -330 moneyline doesn’t offer much juice, which is why I prefer the -1.5 puck line at -110. The Finns are implied at roughly 77% to win, and given how they’ve dominated possession throughout the tournament, paying that price on the spread is the better value play.

Slovakia at +260 on the moneyline could tempt some bettors after their Game 1 upset, but they’ve struggled badly against top competition since. Oddsmakers are giving the Slovaks just a implied chance to win the rematch.

The total is set at 5.5 goals with the under favored at -144. Both goaltenders have been busy in this tournament, and Saros’ 1.80 GAA and .938 save percentage make a strong case for the under. I wouldn’t argue with anyone going that route.

Finland vs Slovakia Projected Lines

Finland Projected Lines

Forwards:

Artturi Lehkonen – Sebastian Aho – Mikko Rantanen
Mikael Granlund – Roope Hintz – Teuvo Teravainen
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Kaapo Kakko
Joel Kiviranta – Erik Haula – Joel Armia

Defense:

Miro Heiskanen – Esa Lindell
Niko Mikkola – Rasmus Ristolainen
Olli Maatta – Nikolas Matinpalo

Goalie: Juuse Saros

Saros has been the only Finnish netminder to see game action in the tournament and he’s been outstanding. His .938 save percentage includes a 36-save performance against Canada on Friday. Kevin Lankinen didn’t even dress for the semifinal, serving as the third goalie.

Finland is unlikely to make significant changes to a lineup that nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament. It’ll be worth watching how much Heiskanen and Lindell have left in the tank after logging 27:33 and 25:21 respectively against Canada.

Slovakia Projected Lines

Forwards:

Juraj Slafkovsky – Adam Ruzicka – Tomas Tatar
Oliver Okuliar – Dalibor Dvorsky – Libor Hudacek
Milos Kelemen – Martin Pospisil – Pavol Regenda
Adam Liska – Matus Sukel – Samuel Takac

Defense:

Martin Fehervary – Simon Nemec
Martin Gernat – Erik Cernak
Martin Marincin – Peter Ceresnak

Goalie: Samuel Hlavaj

Hlavaj was pulled in Friday’s semifinal after the Americans jumped out to a 4-0 lead, replaced by Stanislav Skorvanek, who allowed two goals on 14 shots.

Slovakia will likely go back to Hlavaj with a medal on the line, but confidence could be an issue for the 24-year-old, who hasn’t posted better than a .904 save percentage in the AHL or ECHL over the past two seasons.

Nemec was the only Slovak to log over 20 minutes in the semifinal (22:28), and the team used a balanced lineup otherwise, which should help with the quick turnaround.

Finland vs Slovakia How to Watch

Puck drop for Saturday’s bronze medal game is set for 2:40 pm ET at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy. The game can be watched on USA Network and CBC, and streamed on Peacock and CBC Gem.