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Olympic Hockey 2018 Tournament Men's Groups, Bracket, Schedule and Odds
February 13, 2018
The allure of the Olympic men's ice hockey tournament may have dwindled due to the absence of NHL players, but it still carries intrigue.
The 12-team tournament that begins on Wednesday features a favorite to win gold in each of the three groups for pool play, a move that should keep Olympic Athletes from Russia, Canada and Sweden away from each other until the semifinals.
Former San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings player Tony Granato is in charge of a United States squad that is made up of players from college, the AHL and abroad.
Below is everything you need to know about the Olympic men's ice hockey tournament.
Groups
Group A
Canada
Czech Republic
Switzerland
South Korea
Schedule
Thursday, February 15
Czech Republic vs. South Korea (7:10 a.m. ET)
Canada vs. Switzerland (7:10 a.m. ET)
Friday, February 16 (Game takes place in Pyeongchang on Saturday, February 17)
Canada vs. Czech Republic (10:10 p.m. ET)
Saturday, February 17
Switzerland vs. South Korea (2:40 a.m. ET)
Sunday, February 18
Czech Republic vs. Switzerland (2:40 a.m. ET)
Canada vs. South Korea (7:10 a.m. ET)
Group B
United States
Olympic Athletes from Russia
Slovenia
Slovakia
Schedule
Wednesday, February 14
United States vs. Slovenia (7:10 a.m. ET)
Olympic Athletes from Russia vs. Slovakia (7:10 a.m. ET)
Thursday, February 15 (Game takes place in Pyeongchang on Friday, February 16)
United States vs. Slovakia (10:10 p.m. ET)
Friday, February 16
Olympic Athletes from Russia vs. Slovenia (2:40 a.m. ET)
Saturday, February 17
Olympic Athletes from Russia vs. United States (7:10 a.m. ET)
Slovakia vs. Slovenia (7:10 a.m. ET)
Group C
Sweden
Finland
Norway
Germany
Schedule
Wednesday, February 14 (Game takes place in Pyeongchang on Thursday, February 15)
Finland vs. Germany (10:10 p.m. ET)
Thursday, February 15
Norway vs. Sweden (2:40 a.m. ET)
Friday, February 16
Finland vs. Norway (7:10 a.m. ET)
Sweden vs. Germany (7:10 a.m. ET)
Saturday, February 17 (Game takes place in Pyeongchang on Sunday, February 18)
Norway vs. Germany (10:10 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 18
Sweden vs. Finland (7:10 a.m. ET)
Bracket
After pool play, the teams will be ranked, with the top four squads receiving byes into the quarterfinals.
Playoff Round (Monday, February 19 and Tuesday, February 20)
No. 8 vs. No. 9
No. 5 vs. No. 12
No. 6 vs. No. 11
No. 7 vs. No. 10
Quarterfinals (Tuesday, February 20 and Wednesday, February 21)
No. 1 vs. winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9
No. 4 vs. winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12
No. 3 vs. winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11
No. 2 vs. winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10
Semifinals
No. 1 vs. No. 8 or No. 9 winner vs. No. 4 vs. No. 5 or No. 12 winner
No. 3 vs. No. 6 or No. 11 winner vs. No. 2 vs. No. 7 or No. 10 winner
3rd-Place Game (Friday, February 23)
Loser of semifinal No. 1 vs. Loser of semifinal No. 2
Final (Saturday, February 24 at 11:10 p.m. ET)
Winner of semifinal No. 1 vs. winner of semifinal No. 2
Odds (via Oddsshark)
Olympic Athletes from Russia (+225; Bet $100 to win $225)
Canada (+275)
Sweden (+400)
Finland (+800)
Czech Republic (+900)
United States (+900)
Switzerland (+3,300)
Germany (+6,600)
Slovakia (+6,600)
Norway (+10,000)
Slovenia (+25,000)
South Korea (+25,000)
Loaded Roster Makes Olympic Athletes from Russia the Favorite
While the NHL players won't be showing up in South Korea, there will be a large contingent from the KHL in South Korea, especially on the Olympic Athletes from Russia roster.
The Russian domestic league is represented by every player on the Russian roster, including 15 players from league leader SKA Saint Petersburg.
The big names on the roster are Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk because of the time they spent in the NHL, but you should keep an eye on Vadim Shipachyov, who provided 11 assists at the 2017 IIHF World Championships.
The United States is the top competition for the Russians in pool play, but given the talent gap between the two rosters, it may not be a close affair to close out action in Group B.
Olympic Athletes from Russia's claim to the Olympic hockey throne will be tested by two-time defending champion Canada and 2006 gold-medal winner Sweden, one of which should face the Russians in the semifinals.
Can the Americans Use 1980 as Motivation?
There are a few similarities between the 2018 United States men's hockey team and the 1980 group that upset the Russians on the way to a gold medal on home soil.
The group of collegiate and minor-league players will try to conjure up the spirits of the past and use them as motivation in a tournament they aren't supposed to medal in.
Games against Slovenia and Slovakia to start pool play should help the Americans gain confidence before their first real test against the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
While it may seem like a small goal, the United States should try to earn the fourth seed and a bye into the quarterfinals.
That accomplishment is attainable if the Americans rack up goals on their first two opponents with goal differential being one of the tiebreakers that determines playoff seeding.
Once they get into the elimination round, anything is possible from a quarterfinal exit to a shock run into the final spurred by an upset over one of the top seeds.
If the Americans use 1980 as a model for success in 2018, it could help them overcome the gap in talent that they'll face against the top medal contenders .
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.