On the second-to-last day of the 2026 Winter Olympics, we have a Group B rematch in the bronze medal game between Finland and Slovakia.
During the opener on February 11, Slovakia upset the Finns by the score of 4-1. More than a week later, Finland seeks revenge, but this time for a medal.
Let's get into our Finland vs Slovakia best bets, predictions, and picks for the bronze medal game on Saturday, February 20.
Finland vs Slovakia Bronze Medal Best Bets, Predictions
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Finland vs. Slovakia Best Bets
By Nick Martin
Writing up a losing pick always hurts, and it's especially painful in a big spot where readership is elevated. It's even worse when you feel like your general belief regarding a game was accurate.
In those regards, my losing pick on Friday's semi-final on the USA to win regulation parlayed with Slovakia to score under 1.5 goals was extremely frustrating, as my general beliefs about Slovakia were true, but ultimately I picked a silly way to bet into them, as the USA got a little loose in the third period of a blowout.
The first game of a tournament like this is always volatile for any side. Rosters need to come together and play an organized, structured team game in short order, and talent alone does not guarantee a result.
Finland made some sloppy and uncharacteristic breakdowns when these teams met in the tournament opener, and Slovakia capitalized on them and also received an excellent performance in goal from Samuel Hlavaj. Even still, Finland led 11-to-5 on shots from the inner slot and 40-to-25 in shots on goal.
Slovakia was opportunistic in that game, and I would not go as far as to say it was a lucky win. But it does seem safe to say that head coach Antti Pennanen's side has looked more organized since that point, and their much greater skill level now seems more likely to shine through.
Finland gave Canada all it could handle on Friday and obviously nearly found a better result. While it did deal with some tough breaks, going into a complete defensive shell for 30 minutes was also a concern.
It should be able to stymie the Slovaks in this matchup, and if it does earn an early lead, I don't expect Pennanen's side to try to coax a lead across the finish line in the same fashion it did versus Canada.
After its tournament opener, when Finland simply seemed out of sync, Slovakia has looked pretty unconvincing versus high-quality hockey nations, falling 5-3 to Sweden and 6-2 to the U.S.A. on Friday. It ranked eighth in scoring chance share in the first four games of the tournament, and fell to be a bit of a one-trick pony up front in counting on Herculean performances from Juraj Slafkovsky.
It also seems possible that Slovakia's top skaters may be running out of gas, having been relied upon quite heavily in the tournament, and the quick turnaround ahead of this matchup could be more favorable for Finland.
By no means do I expect Slovakia to lie down, and if anything, this spot might favor them mentally, given that winning a medal, which was priced at +1100 pre-tournament, would be a massive success. Still, getting Finland at greater than even money to cover -1.5 in this matchup looks quite appealing.
Pick: Finland -1.5 (+100)
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It’s fitting that this matchup opened the Olympics, and now these two teams meet again for the bronze. Slovakia won the first meeting 4‑1, but the game was closer than the final score suggests. It was tied 1‑1 after two periods, and a power-play goal midway through the third, plus a late empty-netter, broke it open.
Slovakia has shown it can compete at the Olympic level, as Juraj Slafkovský continues to impress. He scored again against the U.S. yesterday, giving him four goals and eight points in the tournament.
Still, Finland’s defensive consistency is what stands out most in this matchup. The Finns allowed just 10 goals in five games and kept Canada and Sweden largely in check.
Sure, their conservative play after taking a 2‑0 lead probably cost them against Canada, but Slovakia won’t be coming at them with McDavid, MacKinnon, and Celebrini, among others.
I expect the scoring to play out much like the first two and a half periods of their earlier meeting. Both teams play opportunistic offense, waiting for their chances. Finland should be able to control the game enough to keep this under.
On top of that, both goalies have been strong. Juuse Saros has a 1.80 GAA and a .934 SV% across five games.
Meanwhile, Samuel Hlavaj had a tough outing against the U.S., getting pulled early, but holds a .915 SV% in the Olympics and was outstanding in their first matchup, stopping 38 of 39 shots.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-128)
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By Greg Liodice
Fun’s over.
With one game away from the gold medal game, Slovakia walked into its toughest task yet, which was USA.
And as much as I have enjoyed watching the Slovaks surprise the world, not only will this be the second time they face Finland, but they’ll face a Finland team with a chip on their shoulder.
Sure, the Finns won’t be able to defend their gold medal, but perhaps you’ve seen or heard the uproar from either the Finnish players or Finnish legends on how disappointing the end result was when Finland lost to Canada in the semifinals.
Beating greatest hockey country in the world and Canadian referees same night is impossible I guess… absolutely embarrassing penalty 90 seconds to go in Olympic semifinal.. what a joke🤬
— Teemu Selanne (@TeemuSel8nne) February 20, 2026
As an impartial bystander, I didn’t seem to think there was too much wrong with the calls that Finland was complaining about, but an angry squad with that talent is hardly anything to sneeze at.
Because anger is much better than unhinged, which Slovakia seemed to be in its blowout loss against USA.
It felt like once USA pulled away from the Slovaks, the Slovaks instead decided to play a little dirty, and took some silly penalties, which did no favors for anyone involved.
Which is why I think Finland walks all over Slovakia. Not just because of the revenge from the Olympic opener, where Slovakia shocked the world with a 4-1 win, but also because of the talent discrepancy.
Finland has gotten better every game as the Olympics progressed, and if it was able to nearly come away with a win against Canada, I don’t anticipate the bronze medal game being too much of an issue either.
With lower risk than Nick Martin, I’ll take this in regulation at -155, but feel free to parlay both of our picks. I know I will be doing that.
Pick: Finland 60 Min Line (-155)
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By Nick Griffith
This is total chalk, but that’s exactly what you want in a medal game—the big players to show up. Slafkovský has now scored 11 goals in 12 Olympic games and is just the fourth player to reach 10 goals before turning 22.
He had two in the first meeting against Finland and seems to keep finding ways, despite being the obvious main threat.
Finland does a solid job of shutting down the other team’s top scorer, but I’m sticking with the obvious choice. Any time Slovakia finds the net, there’s a good chance it’s Slafkovský.
Pick: Juraj Slafkovsky Anytime Goal Scorer (+175)
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By Greg Liodice
Pivoting off Nick Griffith’s pick… let’s ride with the big dogs.
Mikko Rantanen has been one of, if not the best, players on Finland since being held pointless in Game 1, and it showed on Friday, where he ripped a one-timer over Jordan Binnington’s glove.
I know we’ve all been impressed with how well Samuel Hlavaj has done, but as a young goaltender, this will be a fascinating test to see how well he responds to adversity.
We’ve only seen him succeed in international play as he’s posted a .917 SV%, but in the AHL, he hasn’t seen that kind of success.
Since I’ve already shown my hand in my first pick, I think Hlavaj struggles today, especially if the Finns fire the amount of shots I think they will. And since Rantanen has been red hot, there’s no better way to cap it off than a goal in the bronze medal game.
Pick: Mikko Rantanen Anytime Goal Scorer (+145)
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