Olympic Hockey Picks Today: Thursday, February 12
Denmark vs. Germany
When you read Olympic hockey previews, you’ll see people rave that Germany has the top overall player. But when comparing the quality of Denmark and Germany, there are two things to note. One, Denmark’s top players are competitive with Germany’s. Nikolaj Ehlers plays for the Carolina Hurricanes and is a Dane. He has 14 goals and 29 assists in the NHL regular season so far.
Two, beyond Ehlers, who is Denmark’s offensive centerpiece, and defensive-minded Lars Eller of the Ottawa Senators, the Danes are very deep. They feature internationally well-reputed players, such as Nick Olesen, who scored five goals at the ice hockey world championship.
In that 2025 international tournament, Denmark defeated Germany and made it to the semifinals after defeating mighty Canada. So, this is a very dangerous and tightly knit small country that can be counted on to hang within a goal of Germany.
USA vs. Latvia
The Americans are favored heavily for this game, which makes a wager on the spread appropriate. Simply winning isn’t enough for the Americans – they’ll need to score a lot of goals in order to cover the spread. Therein lies the problem for Team USA.
When assembling the team roster, Team USA left off key goal-scorers. Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield, to give two examples, both rank third in the NHL with 32 goals. They were excluded from Team USA, however. Likewise, Alex DeBrincat ranks eighth with 30 goals and was excluded from the Olympic roster.
Goal prevention will be a problem, too. Team USA’s top goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck is, as measured by save percentage, having a career-worst season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Don’t overlook Latvia. The Latvians have more NHL players than you might think and bring considerable experience, chemistry, and international talent.
| Matchup | Pick | Odds | Confidence Level | Sportsbook |
| Denmark vs. Germany | Denmark +1.5 | -115 | Highest | Bovada |
| USA vs. Latvia | Latvia +2.5 | +260 | Highest | Bovada |
Denmark vs. Germany
When you read Olympic hockey previews, you’ll see people rave that Germany has the top overall player. But when comparing the quality of Denmark and Germany, there are two things to note. One, Denmark’s top players are competitive with Germany’s. Nikolaj Ehlers plays for the Carolina Hurricanes and is a Dane. He has 14 goals and 29 assists in the NHL regular season so far.
Two, beyond Ehlers, who is Denmark’s offensive centerpiece, and defensive-minded Lars Eller of the Ottawa Senators, the Danes are very deep. They feature internationally well-reputed players, such as Nick Olesen, who scored five goals at the ice hockey world championship.
In that 2025 international tournament, Denmark defeated Germany and made it to the semifinals after defeating mighty Canada. So, this is a very dangerous and tightly knit small country that can be counted on to hang within a goal of Germany.
USA vs. Latvia
The Americans are favored heavily for this game, which makes a wager on the spread appropriate. Simply winning isn’t enough for the Americans – they’ll need to score a lot of goals in order to cover the spread. Therein lies the problem for Team USA.
When assembling the team roster, Team USA left off key goal-scorers. Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield, to give two examples, both rank third in the NHL with 32 goals. They were excluded from Team USA, however. Likewise, Alex DeBrincat ranks eighth with 30 goals and was excluded from the Olympic roster.
Goal prevention will be a problem, too. Team USA’s top goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck is, as measured by save percentage, having a career-worst season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Don’t overlook Latvia. The Latvians have more NHL players than you might think and bring considerable experience, chemistry, and international talent.