Canada vs. USA in the 4 Nations Final is bringing about betting interest in hockey that's rarely seen, according to at least one sportsbook.
"We expect the USA-Canada final to be the most bet hockey game of the year," said BetMGM senior trading manager Christian Cipollini in a tweet from BetMGM's John Ewing.
Tonight's game begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN from TD Garden Arena in Boston. Betting odds are close to a coin-flip, around -110 on both sides, while the over/under has been set at a total of 5.5.
How Are People Betting USA vs. Canada?
Bet365 is seeing similar volume. According to the sportsbook, tonight's game is already their most bet hockey game of the season and is tracking toward having more bets than Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Final and a majority of last year's NBA Finals games.
While money will roll in throughout the day, BetMGM reports that a Canada victory would be beneficial, as a majority of the bets and money are coming in on the Americans.
As of 11 a.m. ET, 57% of the bets and 52% of the money is on USA to beat Canada for the championship. On the total, 71% of the bets and 60% of the money is on the over 5.5.
The USA-based betting is even more extreme at DraftKings, which told Action Network on Thursday afternoon that 73% of the bets and 67% of the money is on the moneyline for the Americans. On the total, 69% of the bets and 75% of the money is on the over.
Bet365, is seeing the opposite side of the action, reporting that 91% of bet slips and 90% of money coming in on Canada.
In terms of props, both BetMGM and bet365 have reported that Canadian superstar Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is attracting the most tickets in the Anytime Goal Scorer prop market.
What is the 4 Nations Face-Off?
The NHL replaced this year's All-Star Game with this new international tournament, which has seen some of the game's top players take the ice for their respective countries for the first time in nearly a decade. The four-team round robin, which culminates in tonight's final, featured tonight's two finalists alongside Sweden and Finland. The four teams all played each other once and the top two teams qualified for the championship.
The tournament has captivated fans who haven't seen a best-on-best international tournament like this since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Tonight's meeting is a rematch of a game that took place just five days ago, when USA beat Canada 3-1 to clinch its spot in the championship. Jake Guentzel scored two for USA, including an empty netter in the third period.
The game was tied 1-1 after one period off goals by Guentzel and Connor McDavid. USA's Dylan Larkin broke the tie with what proved to be the game-winner at the 13:33 mark of the second period.
How Does 4 Nations Face-Off Betting Volume Compare to NHL Games?
According to BetMGM, that first meeting was the most-bet hockey game this year by total tickets, and four of the top six have come from this tournament overall.
The first meeting was also No. 1 at DraftKings, which said that its four most bet games of the season all came from this tournament.
Even more memorable than the result for many were the antics to start the game. Many worried players wouldn't be heavily invested in the results of these international games in the middle of the NHL season, but any concerns were quickly alleviated when three fights broke out in the first nine seconds of the game, and some players said afterward it was among the most intense games of their careers.
That game peaked at 5.4 million American viewers, and Thursday's championship game rematch is garnering even more interest, with average ticket prices reaching north of $2,000, according to reports.
