The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics enters its single-elimination phase with four qualification playoff games on Tuesday. Top seeds Canada, United States, Slovakia and Finland receive byes to the quarterfinals, while the winners of the matchups advance to face them. Teams like Sweden and Czechia face challenging paths ahead in the knockout stage.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men's hockey tournament shifts to high-stakes single-elimination play starting Tuesday at arenas in Milan and Rho. After a preliminary round featuring NHL players for the first time since 2014, the top four seeds—Canada (No. 1), United States (No. 2), Slovakia (No. 3) and Finland (No. 4)—earn byes directly to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The qualification playoffs pit eight teams in do-or-die contests: No. 5 Switzerland against No. 12 Italy at 6:10 a.m. ET, No. 6 Germany versus No. 11 France at the same time, No. 8 Czechia facing No. 9 Denmark at 10:40 a.m. ET, and No. 7 Sweden taking on No. 10 Latvia at 3:10 p.m. ET. All games air on Peacock, with additional coverage on USA, ICI Tele, CBC Gem and SN.
Sweden, seeded seventh after a mixed preliminary round including a 4-1 loss to rival Finland, faces a gauntlet. A win over Latvia would pit them against the United States in the quarters, potentially followed by Canada in the semis. "That's what the Olympics are all about," forward Filip Forsberg said. Latvia, drawing confidence from a 3-1 upset over Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, relies on strong goaltending from Arturs Silovs or Elvis Merzlikins. Captain Kaspars Daugavins noted, "We've proved it before. We can play each team like any team in the world."
Czechia seeks a complete 60-minute effort against Denmark after an overtime loss to Switzerland. Forward Tomas Hertl emphasized consistency, saying, "We have to be the best we can." Goalie choices loom large; Czechia weighs Lukas Dostal or Dan Vladar, while Sweden decides between Filip Gustavsson and Jacob Markstrom.
Switzerland, missing injured forward Kevin Fiala, aims to capitalize on depth against host Italy. Defenseman Roman Josi stressed focus: "You've got to win that game before you can think about anything else." Germany eyes a breakout from Leon Draisaitl against France.
The format uses a 3-2-1-0 points system from the round robin, with goal differential influencing seeding. Predictions favor Canada for gold, led by Connor McDavid's nine points, with the U.S. as silver contenders behind Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck.
