Let's get into my Sweden vs Slovakia predictions and Olympics picks.
Sweden and Slovakia meet in the preliminary round for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Puck drop is set for 6:10 a.m. EST at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy. The game will be streamed live on Peacock.
Sweden is favored by -2.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-135o/ +114u). Sweden is a -550 favorite to win outright, while Slovakia is +410 to pull off the upset.
Sweden vs. Slovakia Odds, Pick
| Slovakia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -102 | 5.5 -135o / 114u | +410 |
| Sweden Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -118 | 5.5 -135o / 114u | -550 |
- Sweden vs. Slovakia Puck Line: Sweden -2.5 (-102), Slovakia +2.5 (-118)
- Sweden vs. Slovakia Over/Under: 5.5 (-135o / +114u)
- Sweden vs. Slovakia Moneyline: Sweden -550, Slovakia +410
Sweden vs. Slovakia Preview
Sweden
After two games in the Olympics, the Swedes have become mere mortals.
From a team that was supposed to be up there with one of the more well-rounded clubs in this tournament, everything that I have seen thus far from Sweden has been underwhelming at best.
In the opener, it went down to the wire with arguably the worst team in the tournament, Italy, and made Damian Clara look like Dominik Hasek. Then, the Swedes got stomped by their Scandinavian neighbor, Finland, on Friday by the score of 4-1.
So it truly begs the question… are these guys just pretenders?
I want to believe in them. Swedish hockey has been surging for the better part of 20 years, but after two underwhelming games from Filip Gustavsson, it may be time to go to the bullpen to see what coach Sam Hallam’s team is made of.
Jacob Markstrom is among the netminders who have the most experience, but it’s hard to justify starting him after the horrendous season he’s had.
That’s why if it were me, I’d lean toward Jesper Wallstedt, who’s ironically Gustavsson’s goalie partner with the Minnesota Wild.
Wallstedt has a ton of upside, and while he’s still young in his NHL career, he has shown that he’s capable of taking over games, unlike Gustavsson or Markstrom.
Slovakia
Slovakia just may be one of my favorite teams to watch in these Olympics, and it’s all thanks to Juraj Slafkovsky.
In two Olympics in his young career, the 21-year-old forward has taken the world by storm, posting nine goals and two assists in nine games played. For someone that young, that is insane.
As I alluded to in my game guide a few days ago, the Slovaks used to be a powerhouse, rostering the likes of Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, and Zdeno Chara. But since then, there has been a lot of turnaround.
However, after a bronze medal in Beijing, a 4-1 total beatdown against Finland, and a win against Italy on Friday, it seems like the Slovaks are on the rise.
Samuel Hlavaj, a prospect, ironically, in the Wild’s system, has shown up on the international stage in a monumental way. He looked crisp against the Finns and was aggressive when he needed to be, stopping 39 out of 40 shots.
Outside of Slafkovsky and Hlavaj, we’ve seen a rise from St. Louis Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorsky, who helped put a dagger into the Finns on Wednesday, as well as former NHLer Adam Ruzicka.
I fully expect to see Slovakia come out of the gate hot, just like it did against Finland. This is a proud nation, and you have to imagine being overlooked once again isn’t going to run with this group.
Sweden vs. Slovakia Prediction
As I previously mentioned, Slovakia is going to be overlooked here, and the books proved me right.
It comes in as a 2.5-goal underdog, which to me sounds insane, given how impressive the Slovaks have looked in the first two games. Not only that, we get to have Hlavaj fresh in net after watching the Italy game from the bench.
Sweden is certainly vulnerable, but I do anticipate the Swedes coming in motivated. But Slovakia is no scrub.
If Markstrom assumes the starting role, I actually wouldn’t be opposed to sprinkling for a Slovakia moneyline. At +380, my curiosity may kill the cat, but some thought I was crazy when I picked Slovakia +2.5 on Wednesday.
This number has dropped already fairly fast, as it was at +525 before, and it may drop faster by the time this gets published.
So sprinkle in a Slovakia moneyline. But put most of your money on Slovakia’s puck line.
Pick: Slovakia +2.5 (-110) | Sprinkle: Slovakia ML (+380)
