Men's Olympic Ice Hockey

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.

MILAN – A late goal in a losing effort propelled Slovakia to the top of Group B at the Olympic Winter Games, a result that has dramatically reshaped the tournament bracket and set the stage for potential early clashes between hockey powerhouses. Despite falling to Sweden 5-3 on Saturday at Santagiulia Arena, Slovakia clinched the group title thanks to Dalibor Dvorsky’s goal with 39 seconds remaining and a subsequent 11-0 victory by Finland over Italy.

The seemingly inconsequential goal by Dvorsky proved pivotal. The Olympic format, in the event of tied group standings, relies on goal differential in games *between* the tied teams. Slovakia, Sweden, and Finland all finished with two wins and six points, but Slovakia’s +1 goal differential in those head-to-head matchups edged out Finland’s 0 and Sweden’s -1. This outcome guarantees Slovakia a bye directly to the quarterfinals.

“I’ve never been part of a better loss,” Slovakia forward Juraj Slafkovsky said after the game, acknowledging the unusual circumstances.

The result is particularly impactful for Sweden, considered a gold medal favorite. They will now be forced to navigate the qualification round on Tuesday, facing a yet-to-be-determined opponent, and will need to win four consecutive games to reach the gold medal final. “Sweden, a gold medal favorite, will now have to win four in row to win gold,” according to NHL.com.

The tournament structure dictates that the top four teams receive a bye to the quarterfinals, although the remaining eight compete in a qualification playoff. Based on current projections, and assuming Canada and the United States win their remaining preliminary round games, the quarterfinals are shaping up to pit Slovakia against a team emerging from the qualification round, while Finland will likely face another qualification playoff winner. Sweden’s path is considerably more challenging, potentially facing either Canada or the United States.

The qualification playoffs will pair the fifth-place team against the 12th, the sixth against the 11th, the seventh against the 10th, and the eighth against the ninth. The winners of those games then advance to face the top four seeded teams. The bracket is pre-determined, meaning the No. 1 seed will face the winner of one qualification playoff, and the No. 2 seed will face the winner of another.

Canada and the United States are currently vying for the top seed, with Canada holding a significant +9 goal differential after two games, and the U.S. At +4 after one win. Canada’s final preliminary round opponent is France, while the U.S. Will face Germany. A decisive victory for Canada against France could secure the top seed, potentially avoiding a quarterfinal matchup against Sweden.

The unusual outcome in Group B underscores the importance of goal differential in Olympic hockey, a factor that may lead to lopsided scores as teams attempt to improve their standings in the final preliminary round games. The tournament continues Sunday with Canada facing France and the U.S. Playing Germany.