By Gary Pearson, BetMGM While 12 teams will compete at the men's Olympic hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina Games, only a handful have a realistic chance of capturing gold. Apologies in advance to fans and compatriots of the seven excluded teams, but I'd be more shocked to see one of those nations win than I'd be had Czechia not selected David Pastrnak. 1. CANADA (+120) You don't have to be a hockey savant to see why Team Canada is, according to the BetMGM hockey odds [https://www.on.betmgm.ca/en/sports/hockey-12?utm_source=Display&utm_medium=Sports&utm_campaign=TMI-MGM-Sports-ON-Display-HockeyNews-ON&utm_term=&utm_content=&wm=7145925&wm=7145925&ben=&cid=&cn=TMI_MGM_ON__ACQ_DISP_17_HKY_web_PRO_DR_NA_CPC_N_TMI-MGM-Sports-ON-Display-HockeyNews_SAON___Y&po=SAON__&fec=on&pc=17&spc=HKY&pl=&tc=ACQ&mc=DISP&at=TMI&mt=PRO&obj=DR&tre=NA&buy=CPC&ska=N&aw=web&ty=Desktop&la=en&cre=&btag=&ol=Y&source_caller=ui&shortlink=4rkbpwij&af_sub1=7145925&c=TMI-MGM-Sports-ON-Display-HockeyNews&pid=QR_code&af_xp=custom], the favorite to win the Olympics. The team features both Hart Trophy favorites, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, Vezina Trophy favorite [https://sports.betmgm.ca/en/blog/nhl/vezina-trophy-odds-predictions-bm22/?utm_source=the_hockey_news&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=vezina_trophy_odds] Logan Thompson and Norris Trophy favorite Cale Makar. That merely scratches the surface, which makes one wonder why their 45.45 percent chance of winning gold isn't higher. The Red, White and Blue is the primary reason. MacKinnon Vs. McDavid: Who's The Best NHL Player In The World Right Now? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/66be1c0b-2451-4eb2-b8a4-0ce7132d39cd.jpeg] MacKinnon Vs. McDavid: Who's The Best NHL Player In The World Right Now? If we debated whether Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was better than Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid a month ago, there would be a clear answer. Now, not so much. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/mackinnon-vs-mcdavid-who-s-the-best-nhl-player-in-the-world-right-now] 2. USA (+200) The Milano Cortina Games represent Team USA's best chance of winning gold in a generation. The men's U.S. team last won gold in 1980, thanks to the Miracle on Ice. If you weren't around for those heroics, the word "Miracle" encapsulates perfectly the probability they had entering the tournament. In the current iteration, aside from a few players, the team came within a goal of defeating Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, losing heartbreakingly on a McDavid overtime-winner. With revenge on their minds and the players to pull it off, will 2026 be the year America returns to international hockey supremacy? The odds say they have a 33.33 percent chance of doing precisely that. 3. SWEDEN (+600) The best-value bet on the board, Sweden can upset anyone in a one-off elimination game. The Swedes were unlucky at the 4 Nations Face-Off, eliminated after round-robin play despite not suffering a regulation loss. Sweden finished 1-0-2, with the 4-3 overtime loss to Canada the reason they went home, and Canada advanced. They don't have as much depth as the North American teams, particularly among the forwards, but the Three Crowns have a few top-tier scorers, including Filip Forsberg, Adrian Kempe and William Nylander. They are also equipped with an equal complement of special playmakers, such as Leo Carlsson, Jesper Bratt and Lucas Raymond. Sweden's defense is among the best, and coach Sam Hallam has three goaltenders at his disposal – Jacob Markstrom, Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt – capable of stealing a game or two. Who Are The NHL's Best Five Goaltenders This Year? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9452a4b5-43d5-4a5f-945d-d9392f827501.jpeg] Who Are The NHL's Best Five Goaltenders This Year? Goalies on the Washington Capitals, New York Islanders and more are the NHL's best as of mid-December. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/who-are-the-nhl-s-best-five-goaltenders-this-year] 4. FINLAND (+1100) The defending Olympic champions have been given an 8.33 percent chance of repeating by BetMGM oddsmakers. Their 2022 Olympic gold came in a tournament devoid of NHL players, but gold is gold no matter the circumstances. The Finns' roster is comprised mainly of NHLers. All but one, Mikko Lehtonen of the ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League, play in the NHL. And with Grade-A talent like Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, Anton Lundell, Mikko Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen, it would be naive to count them out. 5. CZECHIA (+1600) Czechia, based on the odds and the roster on paper, are the least likely of the five favorites to capture gold. It would be an enormous upset if they were to win gold for the first time since their inaugural Olympic championship in 1998. I'd be flabbergasted if Dominik Hasek isn't the first name that comes to mind when recalling that historic tournament. Czechia has 12 NHLers on the roster, with elite talent like Pastrnak, Martin Necas, and Tomas Hertl providing a glimmer of hope.
