Charlie Cummings breaks down his prediction and pick for the Switzerland vs. Finland women’s hockey matchup at the Milan Winter Olympics.
There’s one ticket left to punch in the Olympic Women’s Hockey semifinals. Switzerland and Finland will show down to close the Saturday slate, and it’s one of the closest matchups on paper. This could be a doozy.
Team Finland is a -250 moneyline favorite to win this one, and the puck line is set at -1.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook. If you think the Swiss can pull an upset, they’re priced at +205. The total for this game is set at 5.5 goals. Let’s dig into a prediction and pick for this game.
Switzerland vs. Finland prediction, preview
The Swiss and Finns sure pulled a tough draw in the tournament. Both were thrown into Group A, which included Team Canada and Team USA. They suffered difficult defeats against those two inner-circle contenders, putting them in precarious positions to qualify. The Swiss pulled out a shootout win over Czechia to keep them in the race, and had a chance to put themselves in a great position when they faced Finland. But it was the Finns who pulled off a 3-1 win, their only win of the preliminary round.
If the Swiss want to pull an upset, they have to be better at generating offense. They turned in only four goals from open play in four preliminary games, and only France generated fewer shots on goal. The defense has to pick things up as well; they have yet to allow fewer than three goals in any of their games.
Finland needs more consistency as well. Shut out in their first three preliminary games, it took a huge turnaround against the Swiss just to get here in the first place. They’ll need to keep that momentum going, or else it’ll be time to pack their bags. But the defense also showed life against Switzerland, holding them to a single goal. A welcome change from the 12 goals they allowed in their other three contests.
Sanni Vanhanen, the only Finnish skater with multiple goal involvements in that game, will have to step up again. They’ll also need more out of their netminder; Sanni Ahola’s save percentage is ranked ninth out of the 10 starting goalies.
This one feels tight. Who pulls through with a win and gets one step closer to a medal?
Switzerland vs. Finland pick, best bet
It’s hard to trust either of these offenses. They have not performed consistently through the preliminary stage, and are unreliable at best. There is talent there, but I’m not counting on it showing up.
I believe the Finland team we saw against Switzerland just four days ago was the real deal. They worked hard for their goals, buckled down on the forecheck, and looked convincing. I’m counting on the Finns to move closer to the hardware in another low-scoring win.
Best Bet: Finland Moneyline + Under 5.5 Total Goals Same Game Parlay (+130)