Team Canada staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Finland 3-2 in the semifinals, while Team USA dominated Slovakia 6-2 to advance to the gold medal matchup. Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel will face off representing USA and Canada, respectively, with defenseman Erik Cernak of Slovakia vying for bronze. Nashville Predators players, including Erik Haula who scored for Finland, remain involved in the medal rounds.
The 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey semifinals delivered high-stakes action on Friday, setting up an all-North American gold medal game between Canada and the United States on Sunday.
In the first semifinal, Canada trailed Finland 2-0 before rallying in Milan. Mikko Rantanen opened scoring for Finland on a power play at 16:55 of the first period, assisted by Sebastian Aho. Erik Haula, a forward for the Nashville Predators playing for Finland, extended the lead to 2-0 with a shorthanded backhand goal at 3:26 of the second, assisted by Joel Armia. Sam Reinhart pulled Canada within one on a power-play tip at 14:20 of the second, assisted by Cale Makar and Connor McDavid. Shea Theodore tied it at 10:34 of the third with a point shot, assisted by Travis Sanheim and Tom Wilson. Nathan MacKinnon sealed the 3-2 victory with a power-play one-timer at 19:24, assisted by McDavid and Macklin Celebrini. Canada outshot Finland 39-17, with McDavid recording two assists. Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel logged 7:28 of ice time and one shot on goal for Canada.
Team USA cruised to a 6-2 win over Slovakia in the later semifinal. Dylan Larkin scored first at 4:19 of the first, assisted by Zach Werenski and Tage Thompson. Thompson added a power-play goal at 19:19, assisted by Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes. In the second, Jack Hughes scored at 12:14, assisted by Werenski, followed by Eichel's backhand 19 seconds later, assisted by Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk. Hughes netted his second at 18:24 on a power play, assisted by Werenski and Matt Boldy. Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky replied at 4:55 of the third, assisted by Adam Ruzicka and Martin Fehervary. Brady Tkachuk made it 6-1 at 10:52, assisted by Vincent Trocheck and Noah Hanifin, before Pavol Regenda's goal at 13:17, assisted by Milos Kelemen and Fehervary, set the final margin. USA outshot Slovakia 39-24, with Werenski earning three assists. Lightning forward Jake Guentzel played 14:45 for USA, recording three shots and a plus-1 rating, while defenseman Erik Cernak logged 17:01 and 10 penalty minutes for Slovakia.
Slovakia faces Finland for bronze on Saturday at 2:40 p.m., with Finland's Haula and other Predators representatives like Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, and Filip Forsberg potentially returning soon to Nashville, which resumes NHL play after the Olympic break. The Predators, four points from a Western Conference wild card spot, held practices on February 20 to prepare for their stretch run with 25 games remaining.
