2022 Winter Olympics predictions: Women's ice hockey betting tips

Free ice hockey tips, best bets and analysis for the Winter Olympics women's tournament at Beijing 2022.

Where to watch

Eurosport 1, 1pm Thursday

Best bet

Finland Women +2.5 goals v USA Women
1pt 6-5 Paddy Power

Match preview

Women's ice hockey joined the Olympic schedule in 1998 and five of the six finals have been contested by Canada and the US.

The US are the defending gold medallists, beating Canada in a shootout in Korea to claim their first gold since winning the inaugural tournament. The pair are head and shoulders above the rest and hard to separate, as is evidenced by the fact that both can be backed at even-money for gold.

In the most recent World Championship tournament the old rivals again couldn't be split in regulation time, the Canadians claiming a 3-2 victory in overtime. That success, in Calgary at the end of August, was potentially an important one psychologically, as the Americans had won the previous five stagings of the tournament.

While Canada kick off their Olympics in the early hours of Thursday morning against Switzerland in a match so one-sided some layers declined to price it up, USA face a much tougher start.

Their opponents Finland have featured in the bronze medal game five times in the six Olympic tournaments, winning three.

They also reached the final of the 2019 World Championship in front of a home crowd, taking the US to a shootout in the final after having beaten Canada 4-2 in the semis.

The Finns can be backed at 18-1 for the match which, while a little insulting, is still pretty unlikely to win, but taking them at odds-against with a 2.5-goal head start makes plenty of appeal.

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