Are the Americans still holding their own?

In the preliminary round, they couldn’t fail in the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament. In the meantime, the matches in the round of 16 have been played and the first four teams had to drop out. The elimination of the German skaters is bitter, but not unexpected after their performance. It was not the tournament for Toni Söderholm’s team.

Early on Tuesday, the German team was defeated by Slovakia. There will be no revenge after the defeat against the USA in the preliminary round. Instead, the match between the United States and the Slovaks will be played in the quarter-finals in Beijing. The winner will advance to the semi-finals and can hope to win the medals.

The US-Americans have been the most successful team in the group phase and are the only team to have won all matches in regular time so far. This makes the college boys from North America the favourites in the quarter-finals as well.

However, after two defeats in the opener, the Slovaks have caught up in the meantime, played much stronger in the last two games and, above all, stood more compactly. We don’t think it’s out of the question that the Europeans will prevail and can imagine placing a bet on a win for the supposed underdogs in the quarter-final between the USA and Slovakia.

USA – Statistics & current form

Sometimes it is the case that teams you don’t expect much from come in a flow and excel. That’s how the United States became Olympic champions in Lake Placid in 1980 in the legendary “Miracle on Ice”. Back then, too, the Americans played with a team of young college players and perhaps the time is ripe for another miracle.

Best team of the preliminary round

In the preliminary round, Team USA was the best team at least once. All three games were won in regulation time. The only question is what those wins are worth. The Canadians didn’t send their best to Beijing either. So the win in the derby against the Maple Leafs was not a success against a world-class team. There was also a clear success against the overmatched Chinese.

The fact that the German team is not as strong as it was four years ago was shown in all four games in Beijing. Therefore, the three successes of the US boys should not be talked down, but they should be put into perspective. Nevertheless, lower odds are offered on a victory for the North Americans in the quarter-final between the USA and Slovakia.

How far the USA really are, however, will already be shown in this match on Wednesday. Maybe Sean Farrell will be able to make his mark on the game again. The 20-year-old from Havard University is at least at the top of the scorers’ list. Goalie Drew Commesso is also playing an outstanding tournament so far and is the best keeper in Beijing so far.

The USA squad:
Goal: Commesso, Mann, Nagle
Defence: Helleson, Warsofsky, Perbix, Sanderson, Faber, Kampfer, Cooper, Ness
Attack: Beniers, Agostino, Hentges, Smith, Abruzzese, Brisson, O’Neill, McLaughlin, Farrell, Cates, Shire, Meyers, Miele, Knies, Abdelkader
Head Coach: Quinn

Slovakia – Statistics & current form

The Slovaks could use the performance of the German team four years ago in Pyeongchang as a blueprint for the tournament in Beijing. At that time, Germany lost to Finland and Sweden in the preliminary round, just like Slovakia now in the Middle Kingdom. The Germans then went all the way to the final. That could also be the path taken by the Slovaks.

Top goal scorer Slafkovsky

The third group game saw their first win as they put in a strong performance against Latvia. Especially young Juraj Slafkovsky has shown in the games so far that he can become a big one one day. At 17, he has already scored four goals in Beijing. With a bang, the young attacker presents himself on the big stage of ice hockey.

In the round of 16, the Slovaks had to deal with Germany and basically there was no doubt during the entire 60 minutes who would leave the ice as the winner. From the start, Craig Ramsey’s team held the reins and went into the first period with a 1-0 lead after a goal by Libor Hudacek.

In the second period the decision followed. Peter Cehlarik and Michal Kristof gave Slovakia a 3-0 lead. The rest of the game was just a management of the lead. Marek Hrivik scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-0. If the Slovaks perform like this in the quarter-finals, then one can predict a close match between the USA and Slovakia.

The Slovakia squad:
Goal: Tomek, Rybar, Konrad
Defence: Nemec, Grman, Ceresnak, Knazko, Gernat, Marincin, Cajkovsky, Daloga
Attack: Zuzin, Kelemen, Jurco, Kristof, Hrivik, Cehlarik, Roman, Takac, Dano, Slafkovsky, Hudacek, Regenda, Pospisil, Holesinsky
Head Coach: Ramsay

USA – Slovakia Direct Comparison / H2H-Balance

A look at the previous record between the selection teams from the United States and Slovakia makes it clear that a very close match can be expected on Wednesday. In total, the two teams have faced each other in 26 matches. In the direct comparison, the US boys are in the lead with 14:10 victories. Two matches ended in a draw.

The last meeting between these two teams was also a quarter-final and was less than a year ago. At the World Championship in Latvia, the United States won clearly with 6:1. However, at that time they also had a squad that consisted almost entirely of NHL players. On Wednesday, the game should be much more balanced.

USA – Slovakia tip

The USA are now considered one of the favourites to win the Olympic gold medal. Their performances in the group stage looked commanding, but their opponents may not have been as strong as other teams in Beijing, even though they have already had to take the ice against Canada. Basically, this quarter-final is now the first real test for the young United States team.

The Slovaks are basically playing the tournament that Germany exemplified in 2018, meanwhile the Europeans seem to have picked up momentum. In the last two games against Latvia and Germany, they looked quite confident.

We think a surprise is possible. The United States are certainly favoured, but we think the path of the college boys from the USA will come to an end on Wednesday. What was in the group stage doesn’t count anymore. Therefore, we have decided to play the betting odds on the Slovaks advancing between the USA and Slovakia.