Injuries are the worst part of betting on any sport.
I have a special place in my heart for the guys that get hurt and still play through it to cash your ticket.
I’m calling them Legend Warriors.
I can’t recall another hockey player that has been better to me than Anaheim Ducks rising star Cutter Gauthier.
13 goals in 18 games since the Olympic break in February – one shy of Cole Caufield for the most in the entire NHL over that span.
After cashing Gauthier anytime goal at +180 again on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers, I doubled down with Gauthier anytime goal at +175 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Getting nearly two-to-one odds for one of the NHL’s top goal scorers in a game that was expected to feature plenty of power-play opportunities was an easy read.
The bad news is Gauthier was forced to leave the game with an injury less than 10 minutes into the first period.
The good news is that he somehow managed to score his career-high 38th goal of the season before he left the ice.
Legend Warrior.
Hopefully for the sake of the Ducks and my fantasy squad, the 22-year-old doesn’t miss any more time.
In case you missed it, I gave out Anaheim to win the Pacific Division at +300 at FanDuel back on March 2nd.
After picking up a point in last night’s 5-4 overtime loss, the Ducks are four points clear of the Oilers for first place in the division with eight games remaining.
Anaheim to win the Pacific is now -380 at FanDuel.
If you followed my advice on X, you’ve already locked in a profit backing the Ducks to win their division.
Turning the page this morning, my focus shifts back to the World Cup qualification as we get set to confirm the final few teams that will compete in the tournament.
Canadians have waited a long time to find out who they will play in their opening match.
We’re now just hours away from finding out.
Let’s dive into what’s at stake in the UEFA World Cup Play-Off in this Morning Coffee for Tuesday March 31st, 2026.
Italy, Bosnia Clash With Winner Set To Join Canada in World Cup Group B
Back on December 5th, we learned that Canada would compete in the same group as Switzerland and Qatar in this summer’s World Cup tournament.
Nearly four months later, we’ll find out who the final team in Group B will be in the UEFA Path A Play-Off Final.
While anything can happen in a single-game elimination, the stark contrast in the perception of the two teams that could join Canada in Group B could not be greater.
That contrast has led to a mix of nerves and excitement as the suspense builds ahead of today’s matches.
In one corner is Italy, the four-time World Cup champion that despite having not officially qualified yet, remains a top 10 choice to win the tournament at 27-to-1.
In the other corner is Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a 300-to-1 long shot following a stunning upset over Wales in penalty kicks to reach this winner-take-all showdown.
Over the last 24 hours, Bosnia to advance to the World Cup has climbed from +340 to +390 at FanDuel.
Italy to advance and clinch the final spot in Group B with Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar has shifted from -470 on Monday evening to -550 at FanDuel this morning.
That number represents an 84.6 per cent implied probability that Italy will qualify this afternoon.
In fact, Italy is such a significant favourite that the FanDuel trading team set the odds to win World Cup Group B as though Italy would be the final team in the group back in December.
Canada is +550 as the third choice to win Group B.
Switzerland is +140 to win Group B as the second choice.
“UEFA Path A Winner” is +105 as the Group B favourite.
Of course, those numbers would change if Bosnia were able to pull off another upset against Italy this afternoon.
In that regard, Canadian soccer fans with no ties to the Italian national team will be cheering for Bosnia, which would set the stage for a much more favourable opening match for Canada this summer.
If Italy does advance, Canada will be a substantial underdog for its World Cup tournament opener.
Of course, it’s fair to wonder how the Italians will respond to the considerable pressure they face.
Italy is looking to avoid becoming the first-ever former champion not to qualify for three straight World Cup tournaments.
Meanwhile, Bosnia is on a five-match undefeated run and is playing with house money with a chance to clinch a spot in the World Cup for the second time ever.
Shortly after finding out who the final team in Group B will be, the Canadian men’s national team will play an exhibition match against Tunisia.
While who they face in the opening match on June 12th is out of their control, Canada still has a lot of work to do to prepare for the tournament.
Who will be Canada’s starting goalkeeper for the opener?
As injuries continue to add up, who will be leaned on to lead the way for Canada up front at the World Cup?
While we are hours away from finding out who they will play in their opener, there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered over the final 73 days before Canada’s World Cup tournament kicks off.
We’ll take a big step towards answering those questions over the next few hours.
Enjoy the games, everyone!
