The stage is set for a marquee Olympic hockey showdown, as the United States defeated Slovakia 6-2 on Friday to secure a spot in the men’s gold-medal game against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
It marks the first time since 2010 that Canada and the United States will meet in the Olympic men’s final. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET, airing on CBC and Sportsnet. Earlier Friday, Canada edged Finland 3-2 in a tightly contested semifinal to book its own place in the final.
The Americans delivered a dominant offensive performance against Slovakia, with goals from Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk. Hughes scored twice, while Eichel’s tally came just 19 seconds after Hughes found the net in the second period, a quick burst that helped swing momentum firmly in favour of the U.S.
Slovakia’s goals came from Juraj Slafkovsky and Pavol Regenda, but the team struggled to contain the American attack. Starting goaltender Samuel Hlavaj was pulled after allowing four goals, and Stanislav Skorvanek came on in relief, stopping 16 shots. At the other end, U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 22 shots to anchor the victory.
Larkin opened the scoring just over four minutes into the first period, and Thompson extended the lead with a power-play goal late in the opening frame. Thompson did not return for the third period due to precautionary reasons, though no further details were immediately provided.
The win marks Team USA’s second six-goal performance of the tournament. The Americans have scored at least five goals in all but one game, a 2-1 overtime victory against Sweden in the quarterfinals. With both teams in strong form, Sunday’s final promises to renew one of hockey’s fiercest international rivalries.
Meanwhile, Slovakia will face Finland in the bronze-medal game on Saturday. The women’s tournament also featured a Canada-United States final earlier this week, where the Americans claimed gold with a 2-1 overtime win.
