On February 5, the U.S. national team will face Russia in the second round of the group round of the Olympic Hockey Games. What to expect from this confrontation?
USA
The US national team managed to deal with Finland at the start of the Olympic Games (5:2). The only thing that is alarming is the game in the minority. The Finns managed to score two goals, playing an extra hockey player. The Americans are considered one of the main favorites of the championship, so there is practically no doubt about their victorious march in the group stage.
Russia
The Russian national team managed to win in the opening match with the Swiss national team, beating the Swiss women (5:2). The match was held on opposite courses, but it was the Russians who took advantage of their chances in attack.
To reach the playoffs, the team must try to cling on to at least one victory, within the group stage. It will be difficult to do this in a match with American and Canadian women. It remains to rely on the meeting with the Finks.
Figures and statistics:
- The teams met once in history. The US national team managed to achieve a dry victory (6:0);
- The U.S. national team has won seven of the last ten matches;
- The Russian national team has won the last three confrontations.
Forecast
The Russian national team should bet on a more reliable game in the confrontation with the Americans. Without doing this, it will be impossible to escape from the defeat. We believe that there will not be an abundance of abandoned pucks in this game, as the Russians will play in a more pragmatic manner. We bet on a total of less than 7.5 pucks with a coefficient of 1.70.