The Women's Olympic Hockey tournament concludes on Thursday, and as expected, we have a gold medal showdown between Canada (+330) and the United States of America (-425). Team USA has won seven straight games against their northerly neighbor. The bronze medal matchup, which gets underway just before Canada versus Team USA, pits Sweden (-218) against Switzerland (+180).
I'm heading to the prop market on Thursday, where I've narrowed in on three anytime goal scorer props for the gold medal game.
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Olympic Winter Games Player Props & Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Hannah Bilka Anytime Goal Scorer (+180)
I have to ride the hot hand and play the United States' Hannah Bilka to find the back of the net on Thursday. The 24-year-old is third in the Olympics in scoring (seven points), and she's tied with Sweden's Thea Johansson for the goal lead (four). Bilka scored twice in Team USA's 5-0 blowout win over Canada in the preliminary round.
What I love most about this play is that Bilka has been very active in shooting the puck. Across the six Olympic games thus far, the forward is averaging 3.3 shots on goal per game (SOG/G). Team USA's offense has terrorized Canada across the seven-game winning streak, averaging five goals per game during the sample size. Bilka should have a few quality looks, and I'm wagering that she'll bury one en route to a gold medal victory.
Hilary Knight Anytime Goal Scorer (+100)
Team USA captain Hilary Knight is the chalk favorite to score in Thursday's gold medal contest. Knight really hasn't been filling up the stat sheet this tournament, but I'm willing to back her in this high-stakes showdown. She enters the finale with five points, which have come courtesy of two goals and three assists.
Don't let the lack of Olympic goals fool you, Knight is a bona fide goal scorer. Back home in the PWHL, Knight is ranked second in the league in both goals (15) and shots on goal (111). Let's back Knight at +100 to score.
Marie-Philip Poulin Anytime Goal Scorer (+250)
I'm not exactly rushing to the window to bet against this dominant United States defense. They've only allowed one goal in six games during the Olympics, which came way back in the opener in a 5-1 victory over Czechia. Since then, the Stars and Stripes have posted five consecutive shutouts, outscoring the opposition 26-0.
With all that said, I just don't know that I can pass up on a +250 flier on "Captain Clutch" to score for Canada. If anyone's capable of breaking through this elite Team USA defense, it's Marie-Philip Poulin. She didn't play in the 5-0 defeat against Team USA in the preliminary round, for what it's worth.
In her four games this tournament, Poulin has three goals and an assist. Her two tallies against Switzerland in the semi-finals were the difference in the 2-1 Canadian win. It's also worth mentioning that Poulin leads the PWHL in scoring with 19 goals in 30 games. Her 19.4% shooting percentage is second among players with at least 50 shots on goal. I expect Team USA to win, but I won't be surprised at all if the legendary Poulin gets in on the scoring action. Let's sprinkle on her at +250 odds.
