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Finland vs United States Preview & Picks – Finland To Win Ice Hockey World Championship Opener

leigh-copson
12 May 2023
leigh-copson
Leigh Copson 12 May 2023
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  • Finland vs United States picks for Friday, May 12
  • Matchup gets underway at 09:20 ET at Nokia Arena
  • Preview, stats & form guide
    Finland vs United States Preview & Picks
  • Finland vs United States Preview & Picks
  • Head To Head
  • Finland Form
  • United States Form

Finland vs United States Preview & Picks

Finland are tipped to make a winning start to their title defence.

The Finns always turn up ready to go at the big tournament and they have a great knack for beating the USA.

  • Finland are the defending world champions
  • Finland beat the United States twice in the 2022 tournament
  • Finland have won 5 of the last 6 meetings
  • 3 of the last 4 meetings have produced under 5.5 total goals

Head To Head

  • Finland lead the series 18-9 (1 draw) since 2003
  • Finland won 4-3 when the teams last met in the 2022 World Championship semi-finals

Finland Form

Finland are bidding to become back-to-back world champions after lifting the trophy 12 months ago.

The Finns were beaten finalists in 2021, but produced a dominant run in 2022 as they won all but one of their games.

They began the tournament by following up a 5-0 rout of Norway with a 2-0 victory over Latvia and a 4-1 success against the United States.

Finland then suffered a shootout defeat to Sweden, but that would prove to be the final time that they lost in the tournament.

They bounced back with a 6-0 blowout of Great Britain, and then recorded back-to-back 3-0 wins against Austria and the Czech Republic.

A 4-2 quarter-final win over Slovakia and a 4-3 semi-final success against the United States then earned them a place in the final, where they beat Canada 4-3 in overtime.

United States Form

The United States underwhelmed as they exited the 2022 World Championship in the semi-finals.

They opened that campaign with a 4-1 win against Latvia, but quickly tailed off as they needed overtime to beat Latvia 3-2, and then suffered a 4-1 defeat to Finland.

The USA bounced back to beat Great Britain and then registered a 3-2 overtime win against Sweden.

But just as they looked to be building some momentum, they were beaten 1-0 by the Czech Republic in their penultimate group game.

The United States did wrap up the group stage with a 4-2 win against Norway, and they then downed Switzerland 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

Their campaign came to an end in the semi-finals though, as they were beaten 4-3 by eventual winners Finland.

Verdict

Finland are deservedly favorites to win it all and they are backed to make a winning start by continuing their recent dominance of the United States.

Best Bet: Finland Win 3-Way Money Line @-166.67 at Stake.us - 4 Units
Value Bet: Under 5.5 Total Goals @-166.67 at Stake.us - 4 Units
Finland Win
3-Way Money Line
@-166.67 - 4 Units
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Bet at Stake.us
Under 5.5
Total Goals
@-166.67 - 4 Units
55 Stake Cash no deposit & 550,000 Gold Coins & 5% Rakeback
Use promo code NEWBONUS

Sign up with the code NEWBONUS. When you verify your account get 25 Stake Cash for free PLUS 250,000 Gold Coins and 5% Rakeback! No deposit required. Login each day for the next 30 days and get an additional 30 Stake Cash AND 300,000 Gold Coins. 21+ only. T&Cs apply. Excludes WA, NY, NV, ID, KY, MI, VT, NJ, DE, WV, PA, RI & MD.

Bet at Stake.us