Team Germany secured a 5-1 victory over Team France in the Olympic qualifying playoff on Tuesday, advancing to face Slovakia in the quarterfinals. Edmonton Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski each contributed a goal and an assist in the win at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The result marks Germany's first quarterfinal appearance at Olympics with NHL players since 2002.
Game Overview
Team Germany defeated Team France 5-1 on Tuesday at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, booking their spot in the quarterfinals against Team Slovakia on Wednesday. The win came in a qualifying playoff, with Germany finishing 2-for-3 on the power play after going 1-for-9 in the preliminary round.
Key Scoring Plays
Germany opened the scoring at 3:40 of the first period when Leon Draisaitl converted a power-play goal, assisted by Josh Samanski with a backhand pass. Frederik Tiffels made it 2-0 at 10:54, banking a shot off France goaltender Julian Junca. JJ Peterka extended the lead to 3-0 at 18:13 with a backhand on a pass from Tim Stutzle, while Draisaitl assisted.
France responded in the second period, with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scoring at 4:02 when his centering pass deflected off German defenseman Moritz Mueller. In the third, Samanski tallied his first Olympic goal at 7:01 on the power play, assisted by Draisaitl, making it 4-1. Nico Sturm added an empty-net goal with 56 seconds left, assisted by Draisaitl, for the final score.
Philipp Grubauer made 30 saves for Germany, while France's Junca allowed three goals on 13 shots before Antoine Keller relieved him and stopped 21 shots.
Player Performances and Quotes
Draisaitl recorded one goal and two assists over 24:07 of ice time, becoming the first German NHL player with a three-point Olympic game. "Definitely a step in the right direction today," Draisaitl said. "It's going to get harder; the tournament is getting smaller, and it's getting harder each and every round."
Samanski, a 23-year-old Oilers prospect, had a goal and an assist in his Olympic debut. "Everybody knows how good a player he [Draisaitl] is," Samanski said of their chemistry. "I'm trying to find an area where he can lay into it."
Bellemare, playing his last game for France, reflected on the loss: "We were playing against a good team. We were too defensive. France isn't among the top 12 hockey nations. We came here to earn respect, and that's what we did."
Context and Next Steps
This marks Germany's second quarterfinal appearance at Olympics with NHL players, following a 5-0 loss to Team USA in 2002. They previously beat Slovakia in Olympic play in 1998 and 2002. Draisaitl emphasized the team focus: "I'm thinking about wanting to compete for a medal with our group."
Germany coach Harold Kreis praised Samanski: "Josh does a great job netfront, especially on the power play." The team has less than 24 hours to prepare for Slovakia, who topped Group B.
