North America U23 on the rise, including on the odds board

That sure didn't take long. About as long as McDavid to Matthews to Eichel, turns out, as this Team North America have gone from longshot on the World Cup of Hockey odds board to favoured to knock off Russia in Monday night's feature, and now the third choice to win the whole tournament.

That's a pretty staggering turnaround in terms of perception. Online sportsbook Bodog pegged Team North America's 23-and-under young 'uns as 11-to-1 to win the tournament just before it began, with Russia the four-to-1 second choice behind favoured Canada. Earlier in the summer, the kids were as long as 20-to-1.

Now, off a pair of contrasting openers - NA was way too much for Finland in their opener, while Russia looked humdrum in losing to Sweden - and the kids are favoured to beat the Russians and go to 2-0 according to the latest odds on Monday's game, and sit right behind Sweden at 4-to-1 to win the tournament, while Russia has dropped to fourth in the reckoning at 9-to-1. In Europe the spread between the Swedes and team NA is a little wider, though not by much.

Canada remains odds-on to win, of course, and this one against Russia will doubtless be a much different proposition than the opener. But at least as far as the betting numbers are concerned, the Canada vs. North America final matchup that would warm the cockles of the continent's puckheads, not to mention Gary Bettman, looks very much alive.