<p>The 2026 Winter Olympics will see men and women both compete in separate events across Ice Hockey.</p> <p>The men’s event will take place between February 11 and 22, starting with preliminary round-robin games in three groups (Feb 11-15), and then qualification playoffs (Feb 17), the quarter-finals (Feb 18), semi-finals (Feb 20), the bronze medal game (Feb 21), and the gold medal game (Feb 22).</p> <p>The women’s event will take place from February 5 to 19, with preliminary games (Feb 5-10), quarter-finals (Feb 13-14), semi-finals (Feb 16), bronze medal game, and gold medal game (both on Feb 19).</p> <h2>Milano - Cortina Olympic Ice Hockey Betting Preview</h2> <p>In total, the men's tournament features 36 preliminary-round games, six qualification playoff games, four quarterfinals, two semifinals, and two medal games, for a total of 50 games. The women's tournament runs in a parallel format, with 10 teams divided into two groups of five, for a total of 28 games.</p> <p>A points system will be used to determine the rankings and which nations progress to the quarter-finals. This system awards 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime or shootout win, and 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss.&nbsp;</p> <p>The groups are as follows:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Men:</strong></p> <p><strong>Group A: </strong>Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, France</p> <p><strong>Group B:</strong> Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy</p> <p><strong>Group C:</strong> USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Women:</strong></p> <p><strong>Group A:</strong> Canada, United States, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland</p> <p><strong>Group B:</strong> Japan, Sweden, Germany, Italy, France</p> <p>The men's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics advances the top team from each of the three groups, plus the best second-place team across those groups, resulting in four teams that advance directly to the quarter-finals.</p> <p>The remaining eight teams participate in qualification playoffs, from which four winners emerge and are seeded 5 through 8 to fill out the quarter-finals. After the quarter-finals, the tournament uses re-seeding for the semi-finals based on group stage performance.</p> <h2>Milano - Cortina Olympic Ice Hockey Betting Predictions</h2> <p>Canada are likely to be among the medalists at the 2026 Olympic Games, with our prediction being that they win gold in the men’s discipline. They have a squad that features many of the top NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Bo Horvat.</p> <p>USA and Sweden could offer good value for those betting on podium finishes, as both have talented players on their squad lists.</p> <p>In the women’s, our prediction is that the USA are likely to win due to their squad depth. Veterans like captain Hilary Knight and emerging stars like Laila Edwards, as well as prolific scorers like Taylor Heise, make them a legitimate contender and the nation to beat.</p> <p>The value could be in Finland for the bronze medal. They’ve had four straight Olympic bronzes and are coming off the back of recent Worlds success.</p>