Czech Republic vs Sweden Prediction
🔊 Perhaps the most underrated quarterfinal of the women's Olympic tournament. Yes, the Swedes cruised through Group B without a hitch and haven't faced seasoned opponents yet, but the Czech team doesn't seem like an obvious favorite either. Can the Swedes keep their hopes alive for their first Olympic medals in 20 years? Let's break down the match and offer a prediction for the game on February 13.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past five years, the women's national teams of the Czech Republic and Sweden have faced off 15 times-11 victories for the Czechs and 4 for the Swedes. Notably, the last two head-to-head encounters at the Euro Hockey Tour ended in triumphs for the Scandinavians (4-1 and 3-1). At the Olympic Games and World Championships, Sweden, once formidable until the mid-2010s, have been unable to defeat their rivals since 2017.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Czech Republic (W) Team Overview
Czechia arguably drew the most favorable opponent possible. While dreaming of facing Italy or Germany was out of the question, taking on recent medalists like Finland or Switzerland wasn't exactly a walk in the park either.
Moreover, the Czech team has demonstrated their ability to overcome their rivals-during the group stage, they outplayed Finland (2-0) and secured a crucial point against Switzerland (3-4 SO). The European players fell to both USA and Canada with identical scores of 1-5.
Match Results: Czech Republic (W)
Sweden (W) Team Overview
The Swedish women steamrolled their opponents in Group B, demolishing Italy 6-1, and shutting out Japan and France with identical 4-0 victories, and defeating Germany 4-1. Including their games in the European Hockey Tour, the Scandinavians have now extended their winning streak to six matches.
Sweden last claimed Olympic medals in Turin in 2006. However, since then, the Czechs have significantly improved, and the Swiss have become more formidable, so the challenges for the two-time Olympic medalists will begin as early as the quarterfinals. Considering the Swedes' efficiency during the group stage (11% conversion rate, with every ninth shot finding the net), they certainly have a shot.
Match Results: Sweden (W)
⚡️ Leaders
Natalie Mlynkova, with a tally of 3 goals and 1 assist, stands as the top scorer for the Czech team in the tournament and ranks among the leading goal scorers in the Olympic competition. Despite heavy defeats to Canada and the USA, she boasts a +2 rating, marking her as the most effective player on the national team.
For Sweden, Thea Johansson (4 goals, 2 assists) and Hanna Olsson (2 goals, 4 assists) each collected six points, making them the most productive players in the group stage. Anna Kjellbin, with a +7 rating, ranks in the top three for efficiency in the tournament, while Lina Jungblom and Sophie Lundin secure their spots among the top three in faceoff success.
🥅 Goalkeepers
The Czech coaching staff has evenly rotated their goaltenders, Klara Peslarova and Michaela Hesova. Peslarova boasts a higher save percentage (92.5%) and a better goals-against average (2.50) compared to her counterpart.
Sweden's primary goaltender, Ebba Svensson Treff, featured in three matches, conceding only twice. Her save percentage (96.4%) and goals-against average (0.67) are second only to American Erin Frankel.
🏆 Winter Olympics Statistics
- 1998 (Nagano, Japan): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 5th place
- 2002 (Salt Lake City, USA): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 3rd place
- 2006 (Turin, Italy): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 2nd place
- 2010 (Vancouver, Canada): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 4th place
- 2014 (Sochi, Russia): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 4th place
- 2018 (Pyeongchang, South Korea): Czech Republic - did not participate, Sweden - 7th place
- 2022 (Beijing, China): Czech Republic - 7th place, Sweden - 8th place
Editorial Prediction
While the Czech team battled against experienced opponents, Sweden breezed through the preliminary stage, clearly conserving more energy. We're not focusing on the Scandinavians' scoring throughout the tournament-after all, playoffs are a different ballgame entirely-but it's worth noting that Sweden have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 12 encounters against the Czechs. The Czech defense isn't as reliable (ailing Finns aren't a benchmark), so we're opting for Sweden's team total over 1.5 goals.
Betting Tips: Czech Republic (W) - Sweden (W)
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