Canada Favoured in Men's Hockey Game Against Team USA Friday at Olympics

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Larry Henry

Last Updated: Feb 10, 2022

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Canada Favoured in Men's Hockey Game Against Team USA Friday at Olympics

The Beijing Winter Olympic showdown Friday between Canada and the U.S. men’s ice hockey teams lacks current NHL players, but won’t be short on intensity.

Team Canada and Team USA, coming off convincing wins Thursday, are set to meet in another chapter in their storied cross-border rivalry. Game time Friday is 11:10 p.m. ET.

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The Canadians are favoured going in. Mr. Green Sportsbook has Team Canada at -132 and Team USA at +285. A draw is +325.

Canada Opens Action With Dominant Victory

Both teams skated to wins to open the tournament in their group on Thursday. Group A consists of Canada, the U.S., China and Germany.

Team Canada cruised to a 5-1 victory over Germany, avenging a 2018 Olympic loss to the Germans in Pyeongchang.

Defenseman Jason Demers said Team Canada, which took the ice at Wukesong Sports Centre Thursday for the first time as a unit, doesn’t know many of the teams, “and they don’t really know us.”

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“I think a lot of people have stuff to prove, and that’s what we’re gonna try to do,” he told the National Post.

Former NHL player Eric Staal, Team Canada’s captain, said he and his Olympic teammates were “itching to go.”

“It felt better as the game went on,” he said. “We’ll build and improve and develop as the tournament goes on.”

USA Off to Strong Start With Lopsided Win

Team USA skated to a dominant victory over China, in the first-ever Olympic appearance for a Chinese men’s hockey team.

Harvard University’s Sean Farrell, drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2020, led the U.S. team with a hat trick and two assists. Matty Beniers, drafted second overall by the Seattle Kraken in 2021, was among five other U.S. players who netted goals.

China’s team mostly is made up of U.S. and Canadian athletes who played in the country at some point in their careers.

China goalie Jeremy Smith, who saw action several years ago with the Colorado Avalanche before playing for the Kunlun Red Stars, faced 55 shots in giving up eight goals.

Team USA goalie Drew Commesso, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, stopped a power play late in the game that would have put a goal on the board for China.

Canada Logo On Uniform ‘Special,’ Player Says

With COVID-19 posing a threat, the NHL pulled out of the Winter Olympics this year.

That left teams like Canada and U.S. no choice but to take the ice without some of the world’s top hockey stars.

Even so, both teams have talented players.

In addition to Staal, Canada’s 25-man roster includes Josh Ho-Sang, who plays for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies.

The right-winger told cbc.ca that representing Canada is “every kid's dream.”

“They think about it when they're playing in the driveway and think about scoring the game-winning goal,” he said. “Seeing the logo, getting all the equipment on, it's special.”

Goalie Devon Levi, a Buffalo Sabres prospect playing at Northeastern University in Boston, said he is “super grateful” to be on Team Canada in Beijing.

“It’s been a dream just watching the Olympics every year,” he told cbc.ca. “I looked up to these guys and watched some of the guys on the team now when I was a kid.”

Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL draft, also is on Canada’s team. The Buffalo Sabres prospect plays for the University of Michigan.