Canada vs USA. Prediction and Betting Tips for IIHF World Championship (May 23, 2021).

Canada did not invite their top players to the national team, because most of them are now involved in NHL playoff, competing for the Stanley Cup. On top of that, the Canadian team hasn’t played official games for two years, and not even friendlies. Perhaps that is why in the starting game of the championship they were defeated by Latvia with a score of 0: 2.

Surprisingly, the Canadians were not able to break through the defense of the Latvians even once, although they had plenty of chances to score a goal. In some cases, the Latvian goalie saved, and in others, the shots themselves were not good enough. Now Gerard Gallant's charges have to play practically without mistakes in order to advance to the playoffs.

The USA national team has players from the AHL and the European Leagues, and this tells us that the USA were unable to assemble an optimal squad for this Championship. However, the Americans shouldn't be excluded from the favorites, because they can surprise at any stage of the tournament.

However, there were no surprises yet: in the opening game, Jack Capuano's charges were defeated by Finland with a score of 1:2. The United States had good chances at the opponent's goal, but Suomi fully controlled the game and the advantage was almost always on their side. Perhaps the Americans, like Canada, lacked communication and teamwork.