The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics now has its qualifying games set. Will we see underdog teams pulling off upsets? Let's predict the results.
The Olympic men's hockey knockout stages are nearly here, so let's start to predict them.
As Canada, the USA, Slovakia and Finland locked up the top four seeds and a bye to the quarterfinal, the other eight teams will battle in qualification playoff matchups for a chance to take on those squads.
It will be another full day of action in Milan, Italy, with two games starting at 6:10 a.m. ET and the final game wrapping up by around 6 p.m. ET
What could happen in each of the four games that will be played on Tuesday? Let's predict who will emerge victorious at the beginning of an exciting week ahead during the Olympics.
France Vs. Germany (6:10 a.m. ET)
Prediction: Germany beat France 5-2
The Germans went 1-2-0 in round-robin play, beating Denmark while losing to Latvia (in an upset) and the United States.
Team France failed to win any of its three games, losing to Czechia, Canada and Switzerland by a combined score of 20-5. So it's safe to say the Germans will be the heavy favorite in their game against the French.
Germany need a big performance from star centers Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators, but those two players combined for five goals and seven points in the three round-robin games. And to be blunt, France has no players who even come close to the skill and depth of the Germans.
This game should be a cakewalk for Germany, and if France pull off an upset here, it would be one of the bigger surprises of the 2026 tournament.
BetMGM odds of winning for Germany: 1.13 (-715)
BetMGM odds of winning for France: 6.25 (+525)
Italy Vs. Switzerland (6:10 a.m. ET)
Prediction: Switzerland beat Italy 7-1
The host Italian team went 0-3-0 in the preliminary round, falling to Sweden, Slovakia and Finland.
Switzerland went 2-1-0, beating France 4-0 and Czechia 4-3 in overtime. Canada, however, beat them 5-1.
That said, against an Italy team that has few players of high-end quality, Team Switzerland should be able to win and move on with relative ease.
Even without injured left winger Kevin Fiala, Switzerland still have Timo Meier of the New Jersey Devils, defenseman Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators and blueliner J.J. Moser of the Tampa Bay Lightning leading the way. They have the talent and experience that will make this game one they should win with ease.
The Italians may have the crowd on their side, but that won't be enough for them to beat Switzerland.
BetMGM odds of winning for Switzerland: 1.03 (-3300)
BetMGM odds of winning for Italy: 14.00 (+1300)
Denmark Vs. Czechia (10:40 a.m. ET)
Prediction: Denmark beat Czechia 3-2
There's no two buts about it – Team Czechia has been one of the bigger letdowns of round-robin action, putting together a 1-1-1 record. They lost 5-0 to Canada, beat France 6-3 and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Swiss.
Denmark, on the other hand, looked feisty, posting a 1-2-0 record with a 4-2 win over Latvia and losses to the United States and Germany.
Despite having very few NHLers – and far fewer NHLers than the Czech team – the Danes showed enough pluck and poise to give the Americans a scare.
Team Czechia has got a stellar showing from Colorado Avalanche right winger Martin Necas, but otherwise, the Czechs have not got the big-time performances they need from Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl of the Vegas Golden Knights. They're ripe for an upset, and we see the Danes being a great dark-horse pick to knock off Czechia and surprise observers.
BetMGM odds of winning for Czechia: 1.24 (-420)
BetMGM odds of winning for Denmark: 4.25 (+325)
Latvia Vs. Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET)
Prediction: Sweden beats Latvia 6-0
The Swedes beat Italy and Slovakia but came up flat against their arch-rival, Finland, in a 4-1 loss.
The Latvians went 1-2-0, surprising the Germans while falling to the Americans and Danes.
While you have to give credit to Latvia for putting in solid efforts, the reality is that the Swedes are deep and strong, and they should walk all over the Latvians to set up a showdown against Team USA in the quarterfinal.
Detroit Red Wings right winger Lucas Raymond has led the way for the Swedes with four assists and five points, but Sweden has a slew of elite players – including Toronto Maple Leafs right winger William Nylander and Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe – and we expect the Swedes will get strong performances as they put the Latvians in their place.
BetMGM odds of winning for Sweden: 1.08 (-1250)
BetMGM odds of winning for Latvia: 8.25 (+725)
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