USA vs. Canada Hockey Gold Medal Odds and Men's Bracket Predictions

The Winter Olympics men's hockey final that everyone wanted to see takes place on Sunday morning.

Team USA squares off with Canada for gold in a game that features some of the best players from across the NHL.

Canada has been the more successful country at the Olympics, and it won the Four Nations Face-Off over the Americans last year.

The Americans produced the better semifinal result, so at minimum, they'll come into Sunday with a ton of confidence.

Men's Hockey Gold-Medal Game Info

Date: Sunday, February 22

Start Time: 8 a.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: Peacock

Odds: Canada (-125; bet $125 to win $100); USA (+105; bet $100 to win $105); Over/Under 5.5

Preview

Canada and the United States entered the Milan Cortina Games as the two favorites to win the gold medal.

Both teams put up 5-0 records to reach the gold-medal game. They combined to score 51 games across 10 games.

Team USA had the more prolific offensive showing in the semifinal round with a 6-2 win over Slovakia.

The key to that success was the third line of Dylan Larkin, Jack Hughes and Tage Thompson.

That trio is vital to provide offensive support to the top two lines in a showdown with Canada's top talent.

It's easy to point out USA captain Auston Matthews as a player to watch, but he doesn't have the best track record in big games in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, so if he comes up clutch, it will be a huge achievement.

The Matthews line, which features Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy, has been outperformed by the third line and the trio of Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk.

A well-rounded effort that also includes contributions from Team USA's top two offensive-minded defensemen, Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski, would give the Americans the best shot of claiming gold in a dominant fashion.

Canada has gone to the all-world trio of Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon throughout the Olympics. McDavid and Celebrini have played together for the whole tournament.

If that trio is on the ice with the defensive pair of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, Canada could be unstoppable when they are on the ice.

Canada's big question mark is the health of Sidney Crosby, who is a game-time decision.

Crosby is one of the best big-game players of his generation. His presence on the ice would obviously provide a boost to Canada.

If Crosby can't play, keep an eye on the trio of Nick Suzuki, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. Marner and Stone have built-in chemistry as Vegas Golden Knights teammates. Suzuki played a role in some big moments, including with a game-tying goal in the quarterfinals against Czechia.

The biggest weakness on either side might be Canada goalie Jordan Binnington. He let up five goals in the last two rounds, three of which occurred in the first period.

The St. Louis Blues netminder was fantastic at the Four Nations last year, but if he struggles at any point, Canada might be forced to play from behind again.

The Americans can't afford to make many mistakes, especially committing penalties. Three of Canada's seven goals in the knockout round came on the power play, a unit that features MacKinnon, McDavid, Celebrini, Makar and Sam Reinhart.

As long as the Americans stay out of the penalty box and put the pressure on from the start, they will put themselves in a great position to claim gold.

Prediction: United States 2, Canada 1