Will we see a first-time gold medalist in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament? Finland will be hoping that is the case as they face Russia–or the Russian Olympic Committee, rather–for gold in Beijing.
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament has seen a major medal surprise, as unheralded Slovakia stunningly snatched bronze.
Slovakia entered the tournament with the fourth-longest odds to win the competition but produced a memorable run. They eliminated the top-seeded U.S. team in the quarterfinals, gave Finland everything they had in a semifinal loss, and strolled past Sweden 4-0 to claim bronze after losing 4-1 to the same team in the group stage.
But when it comes to the gold medal, there are no such surprises. Finland (+150) and Russia (+400) were the top two pre-tournament favorites, and they have fulfilled expectations by reaching this point.
Here’s a look at Finland vs. Russia odds and important matchup info.
Finland vs. Russia Beijing 2022 Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game Info and Betting Odds
Matchup Information
- Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game Matchup: Finland vs. Russian Olympic Committee
- Venue & Location: Beijing National Indoor Stadium (Beijing, China)
- Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game Date: Saturday, February 19, 2022 (local date: Sunday, February 20, 2022)
- Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game Time: 11:10 p.m. ET (local time: 12:10 p.m.)
- Where Can I Watch the Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game? USA Network
Betting Odds
- Moneyline: Finland -115, Russia -105
- Total: OVER 4 (-115), UNDER 4 (-110)
- Puck Line: Finland -1 (+210), Russia +1 (-275)
Finland vs. Russia odds are via BetMGM.
Can Finland Finally Grab Olympic Men’s Hockey Gold?
No matter the result against Russia, this will be Finland’s seventh Olympic men’s hockey medal.
But will this one be what the others haven’t been?
At Pyeongchang 2018, Finland finished a disappointing sixth. With a 1-0 loss in a tight quarterfinal clash, they exited the competition at the hands of Canada. That was a rare failure for Finland over the last three-plus decades, however. All of their six Olympic men’s hockey medals have come across the past nine Olympics, starting with Calgary in 1988.
Twice they have fallen just short of gold. The 1988 tournament’s final round was comprised of three rounds of games among six teams. Despite a head-to-head win over the Soviet Union in the final game, Finland lost out to the Soviets for gold by one point, thanks to a loss to loss to Czechoslovakia.
In Turin, Italy in 2006, the format was different, but the result was the same. Finland reached the gold medal game against Sweden and led after the first period, but the Swedes rallied for a 3-2 win to break Finnish hearts again.
Finland’s 2-0 win over Slovakia in the semifinals is the only game thus far that they have failed to score at least three goals. They lead the tournament with 20 goals in their five games.
As it happens, a number of their leading players ply their trade in the Kontinental Hockey League, which is largely made up of Russian teams. So, familiarity won’t be lacking.
That includes forwards Sakari Manninen and Teemu Hartikainen, both of whom suit up for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Manninen are Hartikainen are two of four players tied for the tournament scoring lead with seven points.
Russia Seeks to Continue History of Olympic Hockey Success
Finland is going up against its own history, and it’s going up against Russia’s history as well.
Regardless of the umbrella it has been under, Russia and Olympic men’s hockey success go hand in hand.
The Soviet Union captured seven gold medals in nine Olympic tournaments between 1956 and 1988, with the United States (1960 and the “Miracle on Ice” team in 1980) claiming the other two golds.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Unified Team–made up of players from Russia and other former Soviet republics–took gold in Albertville, France in 1992.
Fortunes changed once NHL players were allowed to compete, with the best Russia managing in that stretch a silver medal in Nagano, Japan in 1998. But after two and a half decades without a men’s hockey gold, Russia took the title four years ago in Pyeongchang under the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” umbrella.
This time around, the Russian Olympic Committee–because stripping Russia of the ability to go by “Russia” is supposed to somehow punish the doping that they are still doing, in case you haven’t heard (what will be their name in the next Olympics?) –is a win away from another gold medal.
While most of Finland’s wins have come on the strength of lighting the lamp regularly, Russia has taken a different path to the gold medal game.
With the exception of an inconsequential 6-5 loss to the Czech Republic in their final game of group play, Russia has won on the strength of sound defensive play. In their other four games, they have allowed only two goals and recorded two shutouts. Goalie Ivan Fedotov has started all five games, posting a goals against average of 1.53 and a save percentage of 94.41.
