On May 15, 2023, a World Cup 2023 group stage match between the national teams of Slovakia and Canada will take place at the SKK Arena Riga Ice Hockey Stadium.
The Slovak national team is a real find of the last Olympic Games, as the modest and young gang sensationally captured the bronze medal. Subsequently, several Slovakians were drafted in the NHL Entry Draft, but we will not see all of them in the 2023 World Cup. Juraj Slafkowski is particularly well remembered and will undoubtedly bring energy and finishing to his team. Craig Ramsey’s men produced a decent picture in their opening game of the tournament against the Czechs, but still lost 2–3. The next day, however, they played a more practical game against the Latvians, but won 2–1.
Team Canada has been runner-up in the last three World Championships: the Maple Leafs have twice come close to the silver medal, and won the event in 2022. Now their minimum objective is to qualify for the main match of the tournament. With that challenge out of the way, the Red and Black have put up a pretty decent image so far. In the opening game, they demolished a Latvian team 6–0, which did not forgive their fans. Then, against Slovenia, Andre Turgen’s men tried to cause problems for themselves by winning an unexpected 1–0 draw, but then rallied for a comfortable 5–2 victory to move provisional leaders of Group B.
Canada has scored at least five goals in the last three consecutive games. To bet on an individual team Canada with a total of over 4.5 pucks, you can place a bet at 1xBet at odds of 2.55.
Team Canada has defeated Team Slovakia in the last four straight head-to-heads at the World Championships. You can bet on a Canada win at Bet365 with odds of 1.34.
In the last three games in which the Canadian team has participated, the bookmaker’s maximum quota has been exceeded. You can bet on 1xBet at odds of 1.95 for a total of over 5.5 pucks.
In three of the last four meetings, Slovakia has scored less than two goals against Canada. You can bet on a single Slovakian total under 1.5 discs at 1xBet at odds of 1.90.
The Canadian team continues to perform well under the command of Andre Torino. In a friendly match before the start of the 2023 World Cup, the Maple Leafs defeated the Hungarians 5–2, and in their tournament opening matches they swept the Latvians and Slovenians, 6–0 and 5–2, respectively. Three consecutive wins by at least three goals is a good result, even if the opponents are not of a high standard. The red and black now face the Slovakians, but have also won their last four straight meetings in the World Cup by a combined 20–7 result. As a result, we have to bet on the victory of Canada with a handicap (-2.5) at odds of 2.07.
Pay special attention to the offensive exploits of the Canadian team. In the past three games, the Maple Leafs have already scored a combined 16 goals (5.33 goals per game average), which is a respectable tally. Furthermore, in the last four face-to-faces with the Slovakians, they scored a total of 20 goals in total (5.00 goals per game average). Yes, Craig Ramsey’s team rarely causes defensive failures, but this does not happen in the game against the Reds. With this in mind, the optimal variant for forecasting looks like an individual Canadian total from 3.5 to 1.77, and separately it is worth noting the bet on the victory of Canada in the first period at odds of 1.85.
