Canada vs. Finland: Hockey Live-Stream Schedule, Odds
Canada earned a bye into the quarterfinal round of the Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament in Pyeongchang, South Korea, based on their status as the team with the best second-place record in pool play during the tournament.
The Canadians suffered a surprising 3-2 loss to the Czech Republic in a shootout in the opening round, and that defeat came between victories over Switzerland and Korea. Canada finished second to the Czechs in Group A of the competition.
Finland defeated Germany and Norway before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Group C champion Sweden in its final game of the opening round. The Finns earned their way to the quarterfinals by defeating the Koreans 5-2 in the playoff qualification round.
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Date: Wednesday, February 21
Time: 7:10 a.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Odds to win tournament, per OddsShark: Canada +275 (bet $100 to win $275), Finland +800
Canada has high expectations to come away with a medal even though NHL stars are not participating in the Olympics.
While the Canadians don't have the usual array of headliners fans have been accustomed to seeing in the Olympic tournament, they do have several players with NHL experience who are capable of coming up with a big play.
Canada got scoring from Christian Thomas, Eric O'Dell, Maxim Lapierre and Gilbert Brule in its final pool play win over South Korea. However, if the team is going to come away with a medal of any color, it will likely have to play much better than it did against the host nation.
The victors fired 49 shots on goal in that game but had a difficult time scoring. They have to finish around the net better against Finland if they are going to advance to the semifinals.
The Canadians will likely be looking at veteran Chris Kelly for leadership. He was part of a Stanley Cup-winning team with the Boston Bruins in 2011, and he played 13 seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Boston.
The 37-year-old is not a major offensive threat, but he is an excellent defensive center capable of doing a solid job in the face-off circle.
Finland will look to forward Eeli Tolvanen, who scored two goals in the team's 5-1 victory over Norway in pool play, in attack. The 18-year-old added three assists in the victory over the Koreans.
Defenseman Sami Lepisto, who played four years in the NHL, scored a goal against Norway and is capable of causing problems for the Canadians.
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