Finland vs USA Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for 2023 IIHF World Championship Game (Finns Survive 2022 Rematch)

Finland vs USA Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for 2023 IIHF World Championship Game (Finns Survive 2022 Rematch)

Updated:

The 2023 IIHF World Championship begins on Friday, May 12, featuring a Group A matchup between Finland and the USA. 

Finland vs USA Game Info

  • Date: Friday, May 12, 2023
  • Time: 9:20 a.m. ET
  • Venue: Nokia Arena -- Tampere, Finland

This matchup is a rematch of last year's semifinal clash, which saw Finland notch a 4-3 victory over the USA before going on to defeat Canada in the gold medal game. Meanwhile, the Americans left the 2022 tournament without any hardware, getting hammered 8-4 by Czechia in the bronze medal game.

Finland vs USA Odds & Spread

Finland enters this contest as the favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This group stage clash also features an over/under of 5.5 goals with the Under being favored at -130 odds.

Finland vs USA Betting Trends

  • Finland is 0-0-0 in the 2023 IIHF World Championship group stage.
  • USA is 0-0-0 in the 2023 IIHF World Championship group stage.
  • Finland won the gold medal at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
  • USA lost in the bronze medal game at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
  • Finland is 8-2 straight up in its last 10 head-to-head matchups against the USA.

Finland vs USA Prediction & Pick

Although the Americans would love revenge for last year's loss, I don't see it happening. Finland has a stacked roster highlighted by names like Mikko Rantanen (2022 Stanley Cup Champion) and Kaapo Kakko (2019 second-overall pick), as well as several other players with a solid amount of NHL experience.

USA, on the other hand, isn't bringing much NHL talent to the table this year. Alex Tuch was solid with 79 points in 74 games for the Buffalo Sabres and goaltender Casey DeSmith even made 38 outings for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but there's little to love beyond them.

With Finland winning the gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics and beating the United States in four of their last five matchups, the Finns are in a great position to open the tournament with a win.

Final Score Prediction: Finland: 3 | USA: 2

Finland vs USA Best Bet

Whether it wins or loses, I'd be shocked if Finland doesn't score at least three goals on Friday. On top of having a lot of talent up front, the Finns are averaging 3.6 goals in their last seven meetings with the Americans. Considering how Finland scored at least three in four of those matchups, I expect more of the same in this tilt.

Bet: Finland to Score Over 2.5 Goals (-156)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.