Tip: Norway is heading towards their first victory in the Ice Hockey World Championship!

Norway started the championship with a shootout loss against Kazakhstan. It was a match where they outperformed their opponents throughout all three periods but made careless mistakes and had too many individual errors, which Kazakhstan capitalized on. In their second match, they were completely outplayed by a very solid Switzerland team.

An important match

In order for Norway to avoid worrying about relegation from the A Ice Hockey World Championship, this is a match where they need to secure points. When we examine the rosters, it is clear that the Norwegian team has significantly more quality than the Slovenian team. Among the players they rely on from the Norwegian side are Michael Haga, Ken Andre Olimb, and Mathias Trettenes, who are playing abroad and performing well. They also have players from the domestic Fjordkraft-Ligaen, such as Eirik Salsten, Ludvig Hoff, and Thomas Berg-Paulsen, who are expected to contribute to the offensive game. The defensive lineup is also interesting, with Ole Einar Engeland Andersen being a particularly intriguing name, as he tallied 50 points in 45 games for Stjernen during the season. In addition to the point-producing Engeland Andersen, they have Johannes Johannesen and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, who had impressive seasons with Mora and Oskarshamn respectively and have been rewarded with contracts from top SHL clubs, Rögle and Växjö.

If we take a look at the Slovenian team, it appears weak right from the start. The absence of their nation's big star, Anze Kopitar, is certainly significant, and when the powerful center is not available, players from European leagues have to step up. The Slovenians will largely rely on the high-scoring forward Robert Sabolic and the Bremerhaven trio consisting of Ziga Jeglic, Jan Urbas, and Miha Verlic. The majority of the team's players are found in smaller European leagues.

Conclusion and prediction

A Norway in great need of a victory, which also outplayed Kazakhstan in the first match, should have good chances to defeat a thin Slovenian team lacking quality in their roster. Norway appears stronger in all positions, and when Slovenia is without their key star Anze Kopitar, it becomes painfully evident that the team lacks depth. Therefore, my bet is on Norway to win the match in regulation time at -120 with Unibet.