The final weekend of the 2018 Winter Olympics is here. It’s been an exciting two weeks of action in Pyeongchang with hundreds of medals doled out in over a dozen sports. Now there are only a handful of events left before the Olympic flame is extinguished during the closing ceremony on Sunday. Along the way there have been a ton of incredible performances, surprise results and unforgettable Olympic moments that will be remembered for years to come.
Norway has been a regular fixture on the podium, leading both the total and gold medal tally going into the last days of the Winter Games. The Norwegians have racked up 13 golds—tied with Germany for the most—and 38 medals in all, nine more than the second-place Canadians. Speaking of Canada, the country has had it’s best Winter Olympics in terms of overall medals won despite missing the podium completely in men’s curling—a competition it has won three straight times before Pyeongchang. Canada also had a down year in men’s hockey due to the absence of NHL talent, finishing with a disappointing bronze this year after winning back-to-back golds at the last two Winter Games.
The United States had a relatively rough start in South Korea, but recovered with a strong second half. The Americans broke through in a few areas where it wasn’t expected to, nabbing a gold medal in women’s cross-country skiing—the first ever win and second ever medal in this discipline for the country—and a gold in men’s curling after the team reached the final for the first time in Olympic history. All in all, the USA has racked up nine golds and 23 total podium appearances at the 2018 Winter Games. Germany has exceeded expectations in a major way, sitting in third place for total medals with 28, but is on the verge of moving even with Canada after they earn either gold or silver in the final of the men's hockey tournament later today.
There are still some more medals up for grabs before the action comes to a close, giving potential bettors a few opportunities to make a winning pick. Pro handicapper Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com has one last lean on a competition that you won’t want to miss. Before getting to the expert’s last prediction for the men's hockey, take a look at the latest medal tally, full schedule, start times, viewing info, updated odds and more for the final weekend of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
2018 Winter Olympics Viewing Guide – Saturday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25
Medal Count (updated 11:45 p.m. ET on 2/24):
TV: NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA
Complete Olympics events schedule and odds can be found here.
Events Schedule (* indicates live competition):
Saturday, Feb. 24
10:30 p.m.-2 a.m. -- Men's Hockey (gold Medal Game), NBCSN *
11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. -- Primetime Plus Coverage, NBC
12:30 a.m. – 3:30 a.m. -- Primetime Encore, NBC
Sunday, Feb. 25
3-6 p.m. -- Women's Cross Country (30km gold medal final), NBC
7-8 p.m. -- Olympic Gold, NBC
8-10:30 p.m. -- Closing Ceremony, NBC
11:35 p.m.-3 a.m. -- Primetime Encore, NBC
2-4 a.m. -- Women's Cross Country (30km gold medal final), NBCSN
4-6 a.m. -- Figure Skating (gala replay), NBCSN
6-10 a.m. -- Men's Ice Hockey (gold medal game replay), NBCSN
Top Bet: Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Game – Germany vs. Olympic Athletes from Russia
The men’s hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics lost some luster after the NHL elected to bar its players from competing. Due to this, the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) squad—loaded with KHL talent—was widely projected to dominate the tourney. After a rough start that saw them fall to an underdog Slovakia opponent in the opener, the OAR team ultimately lived up to expectations and never lost another game, winning group B and dispatching Norway and the Czech Republic in the playoffs—scoring nine goals and giving up just one in the knockout rounds. The OAR is now unsurprisingly favored to bring home gold against an improbable German opponent that practically no one predicted would be competing in the final on Saturday night.
Germany has been the Cinderella of the tournament, making an unlikely run to the gold medal game despite losing two of three Group C games. The team—known as the Eagle Carriers—turned its fortunes around in the playoffs, beginning with an overtime victory against Switzerland in the qualification round. The Germans followed that up with one of the biggest upsets of the tourney, a 4-3 overtime win versus top-seeded Sweden in the quarterfinals. They weren't done there, however, and still had some magic left for the semifinals.
Germany punched its ticket to the gold medal game by ousting Team Canada, the back-to-back champions of this event, by a 4-3 margin in regulation. Prior to the semis, Germany had an abysmal a 1-27-1 record against the Canadians during Olympic play.
BBC Sport noted that Canada desperately tried to force overtime at the end, but couldn’t net one to stave off the upset:
Germany have done it!
Canada threw everything at it in those last few minutes, but Germany have reached their first ever Olympic ice hockey final!https://t.co/PqU0uj7paZ #Pyeongchang2018 #bbcolympics pic.twitter.com/xIKMlE10pF
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 23, 2018
Marcel Goc, a forward for Germany who had a 12-year NHL career, described the upset against Canada as “unreal”, as per the Los Angeles Times:
I don't know how to describe it. It's unreal. I'm still waiting to get poked and somebody wakes me up and tells me, 'Hey, you're late for the bus to the game.'
The German Foreign Office tweeted out a plea for its citizens to be kind to Canadians after shocking them in the semifinals:
Travel advisory: Germans in Canada should exercise a high degree of empathy. Be nice, don’t gloat, give hugs, buy rounds of hot chocolate.
Just imagine how you would feel if Canada beat us in soccer
#CANGER @TeamD @CanadaFP @GermanyInCanada @KanadaBotschaft pic.twitter.com/0HlHoxMA7E— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) February 23, 2018
The Germans will have to overcome even longer odds to make it four elimination wins in a row to earn gold, but if any squad is capable of upsetting the Russians this year it is this German one. Here’s a look at how you can watch the men’s hockey gold medal game at the 2018 Winter Olympics, as well as the latest odds:
Germany Vs. OAR Men’s Hockey Final Odds And Viewing Guide
Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports App
Odds:
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
| Germany | +2.5 (+100) | +650 | O5.5 (-105) |
| OAR | -2.5 (-125) | -1000 | U5.5 (-118) |
Hockey odds via BetDSI.eu Sportsbook
As you can see, the Russians are 1-10 on the moneyline to win it all and the spread favors them by 2.5 goals. On paper it’s as lopsided of a match as they come, but anything can happen on the ice tonight. There’s been some truly epic upsets in this event in the past—who doesn’t know about the 1980 Miracle on Ice, where Russia’s group of seasoned pros lost to a rag-tag amateur USA squad in Lake Placid—and another could be in store on Saturday.
Tarik El-Bashir tweeted a quote from Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer, who assisted Germany during qualification for the Olympics:
“It’s awesome. It’s good for German hockey. I’m proud of the guys.” —#Caps goalie Philipp Grubauer, who helped his country qualify for the Games. Germany faces OAR tonight for gold. pic.twitter.com/4CAwhKhvw9
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikNBCS) February 24, 2018
Regardless of whether or not Germany wins this game, it will be a historic finish for the country. This squad is guaranteed no worse than silver, the best result for a team that has never earned better than bronze at the Olympics and hasn’t medaled at all since the 1976 Innsbruck Games. Germany didn’t even qualify for the 2014 Sochi Games and hasn’t finished better than fifth at any Winter Olympics from 1980 onwards.
Russia is competing for its first Olympic gold since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, when it was known as the Unified Team in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution. The team was a powerhouse during the Soviet era, winning seven golds in nine games between 1956 and 1988. Since beginning to compete under the Russian flag in 1996, this group’s best showings resulted in silver at the 1998 Nagano Games and bronze at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. It has failed to medal in the past three Winter Olympics, but finally broke through with an assist from the absence of NHL competitors. That doesn’t mean this team isn’t talented, however, as it features a number of elite players that boast impressive resumes.
The Big Red Machine is led by former NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk and has outscored opponents 21-3 in the four games since losing the opener. United States head coach Tony Granato called the Russians elite and said they could hang with about 20 NHL teams, which may be an understatement given the way goaltender Vasily Koshechkin has been playing. The 34-year-old is now 3-1-0 since earning the starting job and stopped all 31 shots he faced to earn a semifinal shutout against the Czechs. According to the Associated Press, Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko called Koshechkin the team’s MVP:
He's been our best player this tournament. He's been playing (almost) every game and he's just making a lot of saves. He made some huge saves tonight, and he was good.
Koshechkin will have to be on against a German foe that hasn’t backed down against anyone in Pyeongchang. The Germans only managed 15 shots on goal against Canada, but put four of them in the back of the net to outscore an opponent that more than doubled their shot count (Canada scored three goals on 31 shots). They may not create an abundance of opportunities against top squads, but the Eagle Carriers have been making the most of them and are dangerous whenever a slight window opens. Germany certainly will need to take advantage of anything it can get against this elite OAR side to have a chance of upsetting on Saturday.
Brooks Macek, a Canadian born player who represents Germany because it is his father’s birthplace, gave the LA Times a scouting report on the team he will face in the gold medal game:
We know they're a fast team. A lot of firepower, a lot of good players. We beat some pretty good teams to get here. We've just got to stick with our game plan and we need another effort like [Friday].
It’s been a good run, but it’s hard to imagine the Germans outright winning the tourney. Still, they’re going to fight hard and keep things close, so betting them with the spread is a wise call. Russia won’t blow this gritty opponent out and ultimately claims gold by winning in regulation by a single goal.
Pick: Germany +2.5
Prediction: OAR 2 – Germany 1
