Team USA advances to the 2026 Winter Olympics men's ice hockey semifinals after a narrow overtime victory over Sweden, setting up a matchup against a confident Slovakia on Friday. The game at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan begins at 3:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock. A win would position the United States one step closer to the gold-medal game.
The men's Olympic hockey tournament has reached its semifinals stage at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games, with four teams remaining after intense quarterfinal action. Team USA secured its spot with a 2-1 overtime win against Sweden on Wednesday, thanks to a clutch goal from Quinn Hughes. The Americans led for most of the game but saw Sweden's Mika Zibanejad tie it with 1:30 left in regulation, testing their resolve before prevailing in extra time.
Slovakia, meanwhile, advanced convincingly by routing Germany 6-2 in the quarterfinals, the only game not decided in overtime. The Slovaks demonstrated strong form, with Juraj Slafkovský shining throughout the tournament and secondary contributors like Pavol Regenda (two goals and an assist) and Dalibor Dvorský (one goal and one assist) stepping up against Germany. Though facing a talent-laden U.S. squad for the first time here, Slovakia enters with momentum as an underdog capable of upsets.
The United States boasts NHL stars including Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who will need to deliver a top performance to neutralize Slovakia's confidence. All semifinalists are guaranteed at least a bronze-medal opportunity, with the winners advancing to Sunday's gold-medal final at 8:10 a.m. ET and losers to Saturday's bronze game at 2:40 p.m. ET. The other semifinal pits Canada against Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET.