The bronze medal in men’s hockey at the 2022 Beijing Olympics will be on the line when Sweden and Slovakia face off on Saturday at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing. In the semifinals, Sweden played the Russian Olympic Committee to a 1-1 tie through overtime but lost in a shootout. In the other semifinal Slovakia fell 2-0 to Finland. This will be the second meeting between the two teams at this year’s Olympics. The Swedes defeated Slovakia 4-1 in a Group C preliminary round game on Feb. 11. 

The opening faceoff is set for 8:10 a.m. ET. Sweden is a -270 moneyline favorite in the latest Sweden vs. Slovakia odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Over/Under for total goals is 5.5. Before locking in any Slovakia vs. Sweden picks or Beijing Olympics 2022 predictions, you need to see what SportsLine’s Olympics expert, Mike Tierney, has to say.

A national sportswriter whose work appears in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered nine Olympic Games in person. For Rio in 2016, Tierney profited big-time. He told readers to bet Over on Team USA’s gold medal count (41.5) and Over on Team USA’s overall medal count (102.5). The result? 46 golds, 121 medals and two easy cashes.

For the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Tierney hit two of his three predictions: Germany (+200) to win the most gold medals and the United States winning Under 10.5 gold medals (+110). And at last year’s Tokyo Games, he correctly predicted the United States would go Over 111.5 total medals (-110).

Now, Tierney has analyzed Saturday’s Sweden vs. Slovakia bronze medal game and locked in his picks and Olympics predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his Beijing Olympics men’s hockey bronze medal game pick. Now, here are several betting lines and trends for Slovakia vs. Sweden:

• Slovakia vs. Sweden money line: Slovakia +210, Sweden -270
• Slovakia vs. Sweden over-under: 5.5 goals
• Slovakia vs. Sweden puck line: Sweden -1.5 (+120)

Why Sweden will cover

Lucas Wallmark has been one of the top goal scorers in Beijing. The former player for the NHL‘s Hurricanes, Panthers and Blackhawks, Wallmark has scored five goals in Beijing, tied for the most of any player. He scored in each of the team’s first four games, including the game-winning goal in the quarterfinal victory over Canada.

In addition, the Swedes enter Saturday knowing they’ve already beaten Slovakia. On Feb. 11, Sweden blitzed Slovakia with three goals in the first period and never looked back in a 4-1 win. Both Joakim Nordstrom and Max Friberg had a goal and an assist for the Swedes.

Why Slovakia will cover

Slovakia has one of the world’s top hockey prospects in 17-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound forward is widely considered a top 10 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. A scintillating combination of size, speed and skill, Slafkovsky has shined at the Olympics with five goals – tied for the most among all players.

In addition, despite losing to Sweden in group play last week, Slovakia arguably outplayed the Swedes. In that game Slovakia outshot Sweden 14-12 in the first period, 16-9 in the second and 12-9 in the third. The Slovaks generated turnovers in the Swedish end and created dangerous chances but were unable to capitalize on opportunities.

How to make Beijing Winter Olympics picks

We can tell you that Tierney is leaning Under on the goal total, but his more confident pick is on the spread. He knows a crucial x-factor that makes one side a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and all of his Olympics 2022 picks and predictions, at SportsLine.

Who wins Sweden vs. Slovakia on Saturday? And what x-factor makes one side a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get Mike Tierney’s predictions for Slovakia vs. Sweden and the Beijing Winter Olympics, all from the renowned sportswriter who’s covered nine Olympics in person and cashed big in 2016, ’18 and ’21, and find out.