Czechia and France meet in the preliminary round for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Puck drop is set for 10:40 a.m. EST at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy. The game will be broadcast live on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
Czechia is favored by 3.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-111o/ -111u). Czechia is a -1667 favorite to win outright, while France is +950 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Czechia vs France predictions and Olympics picks.
Canada vs. France Odds, Pick
- Czechia vs. France Puck Line: Czechia -3.5 (-111), France +3.5 (-111)
- Czechia vs. France Over/Under: 6.5 (-111o / -111u)
- Czechia vs. France Moneyline: Czechia -1667, France +950
Czechia vs. France Preview
Czechia
Contrary to what you may have seen when the Czechs got brutalized 5-0 by Canada on Thursday, this is still a solid team with a lot of elite playmakers.
Czechia still managed to pepper 26 shots against Jordan Binnington, and despite how awful Binnington has done all season, he didn’t allow a goal. Which is remarkable considering David Pastrnak, Tomas Hertl, and Martin Necas are some of the league’s best goal scorers.
But what I think holds the Czechs back is their blue line. The average age of the defense is just under 31 years old, with a number of the youngsters having no NHL experience. The only outlier is 28-year-old Filip Hronek, who plays top-six minutes for the Vancouver Canucks.
So when your first matchup is against Canada, it’s no surprise that you’re going to get run over like a freight train.
Czechia’s age and inexperience on defense showed in an ugly way, and it was only the first game of the preliminaries. So it’ll be something to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the tournament.
It clearly affected goaltender Lukas Dostal, who was playing really solid hockey for the Anaheim Ducks before the season’s pause. Dostal can be a bit volatile, but when he’s on his game, it’s truly hard to stop him.
However, we’ll likely see either Dan Vladar or Karel Vejmelka in net and I don’t think you can go wrong either way. But Vejmelka has been playing fantastic hockey down the stretch before the NHL season paused.
He posted a 7.9 GSAx and a .913 SV% over his past 10 starts.
France
What a total disaster it was for the French on Thursday.
The thing is, I don’t know if anyone was truly surprised that France got trounced by Switzerland – a nation that’s quietly becoming a hockey hotbed.
What was incredibly surprising, though, was the performance of goaltender Antoine Keller, the 21-year-old, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Washington Capitals.
However, after the duel yesterday, one would have to imagine that coach Yorick Treille will opt for Julian Junca.
Keller certainly impressed despite letting in four goals. It’s not his fault his team left him out to dry. France let the Swiss throw 43 shots at Keller, and for a 21-year-old, stopping 39 of them against a team that has Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, and Roman Josi.
The French have some experience with the big dogs. Captain Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare has 10 years and 700 games of NHL experience, and Stephane Da Costa had a cup of coffee in the league as well. The problem is, both are above the age of 36, so their talents may be capped.
Additionally, Alex Texier is an exciting forward who’s starting to get an extended look in the league.
Outside of that, you’ll have to look toward the KHL, the Finnish Liiga, the ICEHL, the NL, and most players who currently compete for Ligue Magnus in France.
Slim pickings for a team trying to medal.
Czechia vs. France Prediction
Both of these nations are looking for their first goal of the Olympics, but boy, is there a major talent discrepancy.
It was clear that the Czechs were severely outmatched in their battle against Canada, but now the shoe is going to be on the other foot.
Despite the age on Czechia’s blue line, the trio of Pastrnak, Necas, and Hertl is going to be too devastating for the French.
With the puck line getting posted at 3.5 at even odds, it’s a clear indication that the books see this going one of two ways.
Either Czechia wipes the floor with the French, or France makes this a much closer game than anticipated. Either can be true. We did see Italy make it close with Sweden a few days ago, so anything is possible.
But I am so beyond bearish on this French squad, especially knowing that their backup netminder is likely going to be staring at rippers from Pastrnak and Necas.
Taking the puck line at 3.5 is a risk, but we did just see three games decided by four goals or more. Trust your gut here, but I’m riding with the Czechs to cover.
Pick: Czechia -3.5
