Men's Olympic Hockey Odds & Tournament Predictions: Who Wins Gold, Scores the Most Goals?

T-minus one day until the puck drops on the most anticipated on-ice event in 12 years, and my men's Olympic hockey odds and tournament predictions take stock of what to expect from the Milano Cortina Games. 

It's fitting that 12 nations will battle for the gold medal, but which nation will reign supreme, and who will score the most goals? Will one goaltender be notably busier than the others, and what about bronze? Let the games begin, and the picks below be as successful as Sidney Crosby's Olympic career. 

💡 Men's Olympic tournament predictions

I'm making my picks at FanDuel, one of the best sports betting sites. You can choose from a wide range of wagering options, from top goal scorer to top goal scorer on each team, along with the Over/Under on player point totals and which player will get more points in a versus rivalry. 

For example, you can pick whether Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner will notch more tournament points. If you're looking to learn more about how to bet on the men's Olympic hockey tournament, our Dustin Saracini has you covered. 

🥇 Best Olympic hockey gold medal pick: Canada (+130)

My opinion on this topic is as unwavering as my stance on whether there should be a four-day workweek. Canada, the Olympic hockey odds favorite at prediction markets, is the best hockey nation in the world. Period.

They proved it at the 4 Nations Face-Off and at the 2010 Vancouver and Sochi 2014 Games, the previous best-on-best editions. 

Jon Cooper's team has the world's best forwards, which I discussed when detailing one reason each dark horse and favorite can win gold. The Great White North arguably has the best defensive fleet, too. 

What about Canada's goaltending concerns? 

While goaltending is causing increased heart palpitations nationwide, I'm not as concerned as most. Jordan Binnington has been woeful for the St. Louis Blues, and there's no defense of his lacklustre play. However, this is not the NHL, and these are not the bad, bad Blues. 

Binnington is a man possessed when he wants to be.

If you're dubious about his ability to turn back the clock and up his level, I implore you to rewatch the 4 Nations Face-Off Final, where Binnington was Canada's X Factor. If Cooper decides to start Logan Thompson, which I doubt given the amount of good faith Binnington has earned, I'm all for it. 

Either way, Canada wins gold. 

🥉 Best Olympic hockey bronze medal pick: Finland (+440)

Finland, the fourth-most likely team to win gold by the Olympic men's hockey odds, has one notable advantage over most teams at this tournament: Familiarity and heightened chemistry. 

Their first line is made up entirely of current and former Dallas Stars, with Roope Hintz flanked by Mikael Granlund and Mikko Rantanen. Stars also comprise their top defensive unit, with arguably the best pair in the tournament featuring Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell. 

The projected lines have former Carolina Hurricanes teammates Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen playing on different lines. However, head coach Antti Pennanen will likely pivot early if he doesn't like what he sees.

Starting goaltender Juuse Saros hasn't been at his best for years, but if he can't do the job, I'm confident the in-form Joonas Korpisalo can. 

🏆 Top goal-scorer pick: Nathan MacKinnon  

Nathan MacKinnon not only leads the NHL is goals (40), but he will be receiving passes from Sidney Crosby throughout. The Hart Trophy odds favorite scored the most goals at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off, finishing with four in as many games.  

I also like Canada's group, circling the games against Switzerland and France to facilitate increased productivity.

Despite having the most goals in the NHL, he's only scored eight on the power play, tied for 23rd. I'm looking for MacKinnon to be more productive with the man advantage in the Olympics, with Crosby and Connor McDavid consistently putting it on a platter. 

While this is hardly breaking new considering MacKinnon's thirst to be first, seeing the below quote further reinforces the point: 

🏆 Most saves pick: Filip Gustavsson (+550)

Filip Gustavsson should play every game for Sweden, barring unforeseen circumstances. And Sweden will likely be one of the four semifinal participants. If that's the case, no team will play more games. 

He's in a group that includes Finland and Slovakia, which means he won't be able to twiddle his thumbs while awaiting flying rubber. And Sweden, on paper, isn't quite as strong as Canada or Team USA, which should lend itself to a slightly heavier workload. 

I was tempted to go with Czechia's Lukas Dostal or Saros. However, it would be a slight surprise if Czechia makes the semifinals, while Saros' leash will be short, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Korpisalo replace him as Finland's No. 1.  

🏒 Olympic hockey odds 2026

The latest 2026 Olympic hockey odds from FanDuel.