Tip: 4-Nations Premiere: Can Sweden Stop Canada’s Goal Machine?

The tournament begins at 02:00 tonight, where the four nations will compete. Tre Kronor enters the competition with high expectations, facing the favorites, Canada, in what I anticipate to be a high-intensity match with plenty of scoring chances exchanged.

Canada St

acks Up World-Class Stars Let’s take a closer look at Canada’s lineup.

Forwards
Sam Reinhart – Connor McDavid – Mitch Marner
Mark Stone – Sidney Crosby – Nathan MacKinnon
Brad Marchand – Brayden Point – Seth Jarvis
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Sam Bennett

Defense Pairs
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Josh Morrissey – Colton Parayko
Shea Theodore – Drew Doughty

PP1
Crosby - MacKinnon - Reinhart
Makar - McDavid

Sweden’s lineup is solid, but what Canada puts on the ice is something extraordinary. In the first line, we find Sam Reinhart, who might be a bit less well-known to those who don’t watch the NHL, especially alongside McDavid and Marner. However, Reinhart is a world-class finisher. Last season, the Canadian scored 57 goals in 82 regular-season games with his Florida Panthers, and this season, he has already tallied 31 goals in 57 games. He will be playing alongside McDavid and Marner, two of the best playmakers in the world. McDavid has recorded 49 assists in 49 games this season, while Marner has 55 assists in 54 games. Reinhart is no slouch when it comes to setting up plays either, but he is primarily a goal scorer and will likely be the one in that line getting the most scoring opportunities.

Canada’s power-play formation might be the most insane we’ve ever seen. McKinnon, McDavid, Makar, Crosby, and Reinhart are among the best—or the very best—in the world at their respective positions. Makar is the frontrunner for the Norris Trophy this season, McDavid is widely regarded as the best hockey player in the world, MacKinnon once again leads the NHL in points with 87 in 57 games, Crosby hardly needs any introduction, and Reinhart is one of the best finishers in the world. Sweden must be careful not to take unnecessary penalties because Canada’s power play is expected to be highly efficient by the end of this tournament.

Conclusion and Betting Tip

Given the incredible linemates Reinhart has around him, I expect him to get plenty of scoring chances throughout the tournament—especially in tonight’s game against Tre Kronor. Last season, Reinhart had a goal-scoring hit rate of 53.7% in the regular season, and this season, it stands at 45.6% (percentage of games in which he scores). Keep in mind that he usually plays with Barkov in Florida, who, although one of the most complete players in the world, is not a playmaker of the same caliber as McDavid or Marner.

While I expect Tre Kronor, with Gustavsson in goal, to defend better than the average NHL team, considering the company Reinhart is in and the quality of his finishing, I don’t think he will be lacking scoring chances in tonight’s game.

Sam Reinhart to score @ +190 at bet365