The World Junior Championship bracket is down to four squads, with both semifinals going down in Minnesota tonight.
We give you two fun same-game parlay picks and a plethora of Finland vs. Sweden predictions and Czechia vs. Canada predictions below.
Finland vs Sweden same-game parlay pick
Sweden -1.5
Over 5.5
Sweden has received excellent goaltending in this tournament while also allowing the fewest goals. The offense has also picked up the tempo and scored 20 times across the past three games, which includes impressively scoring six times against the Americans.
I’ve got a whole lotta love for Swedish netminder Love Harenstam holding the Finns in check, too. He’s posted a high-end .918 SV% and 1.90 GAA through 19 appearances in the Tier 2 HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.
Additionally, the Swedes were able to generate 43 shots while allowing 31 to the Americans in group play, while the Finns were outshot 31-25 by Team U.S.A. in the quarterfinals. That's a telling tale of the tape against a common opponent.
Plus, Finland No. 1 goalie Petteri Rimpinen has also been shaky in the tournament with a run-of-the-mill .876 SV% across his five starts.
Czechia vs Canada same-game parlay pick
Canada -2.5
Over 6.5
Don’t even bother turning onto Narrative St. in Minneapolis tonight; this Team Canada squad has skilled offensive talent up and down the lineup, and the numbers reinforce it. The Canadiens have scored 7+ goals in four of five games, and new No. 1 goalie Jack Ivankovic has been lights out with a .959 SV% across his two starts.
The Czechia squad has struggled in goal with the lowest team save percentage of the four remaining teams, and the Czechs don’t have the same scoring depth as the Canadians.
I also value Team Canada pacing the remaining teams with a rock-solid 91.7 penalty-kill percentage, and they’re also the superior team with the man advantage with a tournament-high 47.1 power-play percentage.
Canada is going to score, and I expect the Czechs to send a splash of statistical correction to Ivankovic’s unsustainably high SV% to help push this total Over the number. Remember, too, empty-net situations arise earlier in elimination games.
Czechia vs Canada anytime goalscorer pick
Pick: Michael Misa anytime goalscorer
+180 at BET99
Canadian center Michael Misa has a pair of goals on 14 shots through five games, and he’s becoming more and more comfortable and dominant as the tournament has progressed. He scored in the quarterfinals, and this is a long number for a player who could quickly prove he’s the best of the best in the Twin Cities.
