Czechia should still remember how at the last Olympic Games Denmark beat them in the group stage (2:1). Back then it was less of a shock because neither side had NHL players in the line-up.
Czechia
However, the Czech side still cannot regard themselves as clear favourites for this game, even though their chances are rated four to five times higher. On paper they were slightly stronger than Switzerland, but in the end they lost both the match (3:4 OT) and the group, finishing third. They beat France — a side clearly weaker than Denmark — only 6:3, and offered nothing against Canada (0:5).
The Czech side's goaltending is even more balanced across the roster, but Lukáš Dostál, who played two of the three matches, stopped only 86.15% of shots.
Denmark
The Danish side finished only third because of their head-to-head against Germany (1:3), although they outshot them (38:26). Against the United States, who are much stronger, they lost by a relatively modest margin (3:6), and they beat Latvia (4:2). Note their strong penalty kill — fifth in the group stage (83.3%) — and the sixth-best save percentage (89.8%). All three goaltenders named for the tournament shared the workload equally. The win was delivered by Frederik Andersen (91.8%), and he is expected to start again in this game.
Czechia vs Denmark Prediction
With such numbers the Danish side will be close to being the favourites for this game. A low total of goals is quite possible, as it was four years ago, but we are more likely to see a battle that lasts at least until the third period.
