Team Canada continues to push towards glory in the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship, picking up comfortable wins in both of their round-robin games thus far. However, they’ll face their biggest test yet on Friday, when they take on Sweden, by far the biggest competition in their group.
Bet on Canada vs. Sweden
CAN -173
SWE +125
Canada are favourites going into the third of four round-robin games, sitting at -173 on the moneyline.
Canada vs. Sweden odds
| Canada Moneyline Odds | -173 |
| Sweden Moneyline Odds | +125 |
| Puck Line odds | Canada -1.5 (+140), Sweden +1.5 (-193) |
| Total Goals line | 6.5 goals (over +115, under -154) |
| Time/Date | Dec. 29, 1:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN Stream: TSN+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About Team Canada (2-0)
Canada had a proverbial fish-in-a-barrel game against Latvia on Wednesday, and they delivered on their expectations. These lopsided affairs are always tough ones to approach, as you risk either playing your best to ensure goal differential and create debates about being unsportsmanlike, or you run into a hot goalie and create debates about the viability of the team.
For the most part, this game threaded the needle until the third period, with Canada taking a reasonable 2-0 lead in the first and 5-0 lead after 40. In the third, Latvia’s wheels fell off once and for all, leading to Canada potting five goals in eight minutes before sitting back for the back half of the period.
The most exciting part of this game was seeing Macklin Celebrini get comfortable, as the 2024 projected first-overall pick notched five points, including contributions to four of the first five goals. It’s great momentum for Canada to carry into Friday.
About Team Sweden (2-0)
With that said, Canada is about to face their biggest challenge yet in this tournament. Sweden is right there with the Canadians and Americans in terms of having a deep, talent-filled roster, initially entering the tournament with shorter odds than the Canadians. Canada’s start has crept them back up on the market, but Sweden has still been excellent out of the gate, kicking things off with a 6-0 win over Latvia, and a 5-0 win over Germany earlier today.
There was a slight bit of intrigue going into today’s game given that Germany had upset Finland earlier in the week, but the Swedes had control of the puck throughout and bit by bit, widened the gap on the scoresheet to prove that they’re a tier above their neighbours. Otto Stenberg opened the scoring late in the first period and the St. Louis Blues prospect led the way for the Swedes, picking up a hat trick on the night.
Projected Lineups
| Team Canada WJC Lines | Team Sweden WJC Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Fraser Minten – Conor Geekie – Jordan Dumais Easton Cowan – Matthew Poitras – Matthew Savoie Owen Allard – Owen Beck – Nate Danielson Carson Rehkopf – Macklin Celebrini – Brayden Yager Matthew Wood Defence Denton Mateychuk – Maveric Lamoureaux Jake Furlong – Noah Warren Jorian Donovan – Oliver Bonk Ty Nelson Starting In Goal Matias Rousseau 2-0-0, 1.00 GAA, 0.958 SV% | Forwards Anton Wahlberg – Noah Ostlund – Jonathan Lekkerimaki Liam Ohgren – Filip Bystedt – Fabian Wagner Otto Stenberg – David Edstrom – Felix Unger Sorum Isac Born – Zeb Forsfjall – Rasmus Rudslatt Oskar Pettersson Defence Elias Pettersson – Elias Solomonsson Tom Willander – Mattias Havelid Anton Johansson – Axel Sandin Pellikka Theo Lindstein Starting In Goal Hugo Havelid 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 SV% |
- Canadian team NHL Prospects on Canada: Fraser Minten (TOR), Easton Cowan (TOR), Owen Beck (MTL)
- 2024 Draft Eligible prospects on Canada: Macklin Celebrini, Owen Allard, Mathis Rousseau, Samuel St. Hilaire
- Canadian team NHL Prospects on Sweden: Jonathan Lekkerimaki (VAN), Oskar Pettersson (OTT), Tom Willander (VAN), Fabian Wagner (WPG, Elias Pettersson (VAN), Elias Solomonsson (WPG), Kevin Reidler (OTT)
- 2024: Draft Eligible prospects on Sweden: Isac Born, Rasmus Rudslatt, Hugo Havelid
Total goals under 6.5
-154
Today’s 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal Odds
Here are the odds to win the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship, heading into December 29th:
| Country | Odds | Country | Odds | Country | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | +162 | Canada | +162 | Sweden | +250 |
| Finland | +1500 | Slovakia | +1500 | Czechia | +3300 |
| Switzerland | +15000 | Germany | +15000 | Latvia | +50000 |
| Norway | +100000 |
Top Scorers
Canada’s Top Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Conor Geekie | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Matthew Wood | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Maveric Lamoureux | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Denton Mateychuk | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Sweden’s Top Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otto Stenberg | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Felix Unger Sorum | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Jonathan Lekkerimaki | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Filip Bystedt | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Noah Ostlund | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Wagers To Consider
- I think the advantage is on Canada’s side in this one. The two teams are pretty close in talent, and Canada will have an extra day’s rest. I would consider the moneyline today. With that said, Sweden is yet to concede a goal in this tournament, so I’m not as confident in it being a win with significant separation, so if you’re thinking of taking the puck line for extra value, I’d probably pass.
- There still aren’t player-specific lines yet on bet365, though they’ve added a couple of boosted parlays on the result. One features Canada winning, them being up after one period, and scoring over 3.5 goals at +275, up from +260. The other features Canada winning and both teams scoring at least two goals, at +162, up from +150. I’d be more inclined to look at the second one than the first.
