For BetMGM, Gary Pearson examines the men's hockey odds and predicts who will win gold, silver and the top scorer title.
You're not alone if you feel your heart rate increasing, palms getting sweaty, and anxiety skyrocketing to levels you'd only feel after downing three espresso doppios.
With the puck about to drop on the first best-on-best men's Olympic hockey tournament in 12 years, take solace in knowing the players are probably exhibiting similar excitement-induced symptoms.
So, which of the 12 competing nations will win gold, who will have to settle for the role of bridesmaid, and which player will score the most points at the Milano Cortina Games?
Who Wins Gold?
Canada will again prove they're the best in the world, and why they should be bigger favorites over Team USA.
Even if he doesn't see much ice time, Sam Bennett's inclusion improved the team. He saves his best product for monumental occasions, which he made clear in his demonstrative Conn Smythe Trophy performance in last year's playoffs.
Canada's goaltenders are taking a ton of flak, even being discounted by many. There's no escaping Jordan Binnington's poor play with the St. Louis Blues, but he is the type of character who thrives, even takes joy, in proving naysayers wrong.
If Binnington starts, which he probably will, I won't be in the least bit surprised if he again dials back the clock like in the 4 Nations Face-Off final when he was Canada's best player.
Who Wins Silver?
With the second-shortest hockey odds, Team USA will have designs on upending the betting favorites from the other side of the 49th parallel.
While I believe their top-tier defense and goaltending will facilitate a berth in the final, the disparity between their forward contingent and Canada's will be the reason they don't secure the first gold medal since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
While most of the 14-man crew, excluding Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, are among the world's best, nobody is playing at the level of their Canadian counterparts, especially Hart Trophy odds favorites Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.
There's also the experience disadvantage to consider, with Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson the only returning Olympians on the United States roster. Both were in college when they played at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Despite having the same number of returning Olympians, Canada's pair are two-time Olympic gold medallists Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty.
Finally, Canada has far more Stanley Cup winners, with only eight players awaiting their first sip from the monstrous chalice. Team USA, meanwhile, features four Stanley Cup champions: Matthew Tkachuk, Jake Guentzel, Jack Eichel and Seth Jones.
At +120 odds, which carry a 45.45 percent probability, you can also back Canada and the United States to meet in the final.
Who Scores The Most Points?
McDavid has been waiting for this moment since he turned pro 11 years ago. He is the +650 betting favorite to finish the Olympics with the most points, and I'm backing him to do precisely that.
McDavid leads the NHL with 96 points, three ahead of Canada teammate MacKinnon.
He has the most points since the 2022-23 season (481), 12 more than Nikita Kucherov and 21 more than MacKinnon.
And no disrespect to the rest of the Edmonton Oilers, but Leon Draisaitl is his only teammate at the NHL level who is as good as the players he'll go into battle with in a few days. That's an ominous proposition for McDavid's forthcoming opponents.