MILAN — Jack Hughes scored twice, and the United States advanced to the Olympic gold medal game for the first time since 2010, dispatching Slovakia 6-2 in a semifinal matchup Friday at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The Americans will face Canada on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET.
Hughes’ second goal, a wrist shot that eluded Slovakian goaltender Samuel Hlavaj, punctuated a dominant performance by the U.S., which built a 5-0 lead through two periods. Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Eichel, and Brady Tkachuk also scored for the Americans. Zach Werenski recorded three assists.
“I think our game is peaking at the right time,” Hughes said, according to Olympics.com.
The victory sets up a highly anticipated gold medal game against Canada, a rivalry that has captivated hockey fans for decades. This will be the third time the two nations have met for Olympic gold since NHL players began participating in the games in 1998. Canada won the previous two encounters, in 2002 and 2010.
The Americans’ path to the final included a dramatic quarterfinal win over Sweden, decided in overtime by a goal from Quinn Hughes. Slovakia, a surprise contender throughout the tournament, had upset Finland in the group stage and defeated Germany in the quarterfinals, but proved unable to contain the American attack.
Juraj Slafkovský and Pavol Regenda scored for Slovakia in the third period, breaking Connor Hellebuyck’s shutout bid. Hellebuyck finished with 22 saves. The Americans have conceded just eight goals in five games.
U.S. Coach Mike Sullivan said after the game he didn’t know if former President Donald Trump would attend Sunday’s game, but that the Americans had plenty of motivation regardless. CBS reported that FBI Director Kash Patel, a friend of USA men’s hockey GM Bill Guerin, was expected to be at Friday’s semifinal.
Thompson left the game after the second period with a lower-body injury, described by Sullivan as precautionary. Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor would be the likely replacement should Thompson be unable to play in the final.
Quinn Hughes continued his impressive tournament, moving within one point of the Olympic record for points by a defenseman with NHL participation, currently held by Sweden’s Erik Karlsson (2014) and American Brian Rafalski (2010). He has points in all five games of the tournament.
The U.S. Victory also offers a degree of vindication for General Manager Bill Guerin, who faced criticism for his roster construction, notably leaving off top NHL goal-scorers Jason Robertson, Cole Caufield, and Alex DeBrincat in favor of veteran players.
Slovakia will now compete for the bronze medal, facing the loser of the Canada-Finland semifinal. Slafkovský, who has 11 goals in 12 career Olympic games, expressed optimism about their chances. “Yeah, for sure. It’s a large tournament with all the NHL players, we would for sure be excited,” he said.
