Match Preview
France exposed plenty of defensive weaknesses during the group stage, and I expect Leon Draisaitl and company to take full advantage here. Germany to win with a –2.5 handicap is my top pick.
Germany Were Unconvincing in Group Stage
Germany advanced to the Winter Olympics 2026 Round of 16 as the second-placed team from Group C, collecting just three points.
They opened the tournament with a solid 3-1 win over Denmark but then suffered an unexpected 4-3 defeat to Latvia, despite Lukas Kälble contributing one goal and one assist.
Germany were never close to causing an upset in the final group match, getting comfortably beaten 5-1 by the United States, with Tim Stützle scoring a consolation goal in the third period.
France Exposed in the Group Stage
France performed even worse than their opponents in the group phase, losing all three matches and conceding a total of 20 goals.
The tournament began with a heavy 4-0 loss to Switzerland, where Les Bleus were outshot 43-27 and failed to make use of eight minutes of power-play time.
They showed more fight in the second round against the Czech Republic, even holding a 3-2 lead in the second period, but eventually lost 6-3. The follow-up clash against Canada turned into a disaster, ending in a 10-2 defeat.