USA men’s hockey team advances to semifinals to face Slovakia
USAT’s Helen St. James led the U.S. Olympic team to a thrilling overtime victory over Sweden, advancing to a semifinal match against Slovakia.
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The long-awaited gold medal match between the United States and Canada will take place at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The U.S. men’s hockey team defeated Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinals on Friday, clinching a trip to the Olympic Championships for the first time since 2010.
The USA vs. Canada game will be played on Sunday, February 22nd at 8:10 a.m. ET. Slovakia and Finland will compete for the bronze medal on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET.
Dylan Larkin scored the first goal for the second straight game, and Tage Thompson made it 2-0 on the power play.
The Americans continued to gain momentum in the second period, with Jack Hughes scoring twice and Jack Eichel scoring once.
The only concern for the Americans was that Thompson did not play in the third period after being cross-checked. He was placed on hold for precautionary reasons.
Canada won 3-2 in the semi-finals in the first half, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Finland. Captain Sidney Crosby played without injury.
Canada defeated the United States in last year’s four-nation final and won the gold medal games in 2002 and 2010.
USA TODAY provided live updates on the men’s hockey semifinal between USA and Slovakia in Milan. Below are the highlights.
Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan provided an update after the game on Tage Thompson’s early exit.
“We held him back for precautionary reasons more than anything,” he said. “We held him back due to a lower-body injury, so we’ll see how he recovers, but I expect him to be ready in time for the game.”
Jack Hughes scored twice and the USA won the men’s hockey semifinal. The United States will play Canada for the gold medal, and Slovakia will play Finland for the bronze medal.
The Tkachuk brothers and Eric Czernak were at each other’s throats throughout the match. Cernak, Brady and Matthew Tkachuk will be fined for unsportsmanlike conduct. Brady also gets called for roughing.
6-2 USA with 5 minutes left.
Slovakia narrowed the gap to 4 points. This is the first time Connor Hellebuyck has scored multiple goals. America 6, Slovakia 2
He was stopped on the first breakaway while shooting. This time, he scored with a stick handle. America 6, Slovakia 1
He is alone, but Stanislav Skorvanek stops him.
Connor Hellebuyck was taken out of position toward the back of the net and couldn’t get the set in time. 2022 Olympic MVP Slavkovskiy scores his fourth goal of the tournament. America 5, Slovakia 1
He did not participate in the power play, and NBC reports he was not on the bench. According to NBC, the player missed the third period for precautionary reasons. He was cross-checked early in the game.
The Americans lead 5-0 and are still on the power play. The rest of the penalty is killed.
If the U.S. can hold out for the remaining 20 games, it will advance to the gold medal against Canada. The game begins Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET. The bronze medal match will be held on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Jack and Quinn Hughes attended Thursday’s gold medal game between the U.S. women and Canada, where the U.S. won and won its first gold medal since 2018.
The U.S. women’s hockey team returned the favor Friday.
A day after winning the gold medal in a thrilling overtime game, members of the U.S. women’s team returned to the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena to cheer on the U.S. men’s team, which will face Slovakia in the semifinals.
Hannah Birka wished the men “good luck” ahead of Friday’s semi-final. “I think they’re a very good team and they have winners in the locker room. I know they can win (the gold medal),” she told USA TODAY Sports.
Hughes’ siblings were on hand to support their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, who is a performance consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team. The brothers also met Tom Brady and caught up with Olympic champion Mike Eruzione in Thursday’s gold medal game.
The Americans took over in the second period, building a 10-2 lead in shots by the half. Matt Boldy kicked the puck and there was no goal, but Jack Hughes showed off his skill with a deft move and scored at 12:14, followed by Jack Eichel 19 seconds later. Hughes scored again at 18:24, giving the United States a 5-0 lead.
Patrick Koch is called for interference. The power play will be extended into the third period.
Jack Hughes scored his second goal of the game shortly after the end of the power play. America 5, Slovakia 0
Oliver O’Criar is called to cross-check. Slovakia scored this, but the USA scored right after.
Samuel Hlavai will be absent, and Stanislav Skorvanek will play. Flavai is not happy about being pulled out.
This was the second goal in 19 games for the U.S. national team. Tkachuk works behind the net to set up Jack Eichel. America 4, Slovakia 0
Jack Hughes has been making great passes throughout the tournament. This time, he made a great move to get past the defender and into position for a wrist shot, beating Samuel Hlavai. America 3, Slovakia 0
On-ice officials determined that Jake Guentzel kicked the puck. Still, America is 2-0.
Martin Fehervary heads to the penalty box for the second time, this time for holding. Auston Matthews had a big chance, and the U.S. had five shots but no goals.
Charlie McAvoy receives his second penalty of the day for high sticking. No bullets were fired and the Americans destroyed it.
Martin Fehevary is called up to replace the rough-and-tumble Brady Tkachuk. America scored on the first power play. But that’s not the case this time, as Auston Matthews is called for hooking. We play 4-on-4 hockey. And the penalty to Matthews was also killed.
America leads 2-0.
Dylan Larkin brought the Americans on 4:19 into the game and scored his second goal in two games. Slovakia played hard, but the Americans took a 2-0 lead when Tage Thompson scored on a power play with 40.9 seconds left. The Americans look fast and strong, holding an 11-8 advantage in shots.
Jack Eichel set up Tage Thompson for a one-timer and the shot went short. Quinn Hughes got his second assist. America 2, Slovakia 0
Milos Kelemen is called up due to a stumbling block.
Jack Hughes has been making great passes throughout the tournament. He does it again to set up Tage Thompson, but Samuel Flavay stops him.
Zach Werenski puts the puck on the glass and the game is called delayed. The United States defeated this one as well, making it 12 out of 12 wins at the Olympics.
Charlie McAvoy is called for goalie interference. America has been perfect so far on the penalty kill and they will continue. Dylan Larkin gets his best chance on a shorthanded 2-on-1.
The family of the late Johnny Gaudreau is in Milan for the match. Team USA has jerseys in the locker room, just like they do during the Quad. Zach Werenski, who played with Gaudreau on the Blue Jackets, scored the first goal. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in 2024 when they were hit by a driver while riding their bicycles in New Jersey.
Dylan Larkin scores America’s first goal for the second straight game. Zach Werenski made a beautiful up-ice pass to Larkin, who split the defense and beat Samuel Flavay. America 1, Slovakia 0
Connor Hellebuyck and Samuel Hlavijk in net. Jack Eichel’s line starts heading to America. The winner will face Canada for the gold medal.
What time is the USA vs. Slovakia men’s hockey semifinal today?
- date: Friday, February 20th
- time: 3:10pm ET (9:10pm local time)
- position: Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena (Milan)
Puck drop between the USA and Slovakia is scheduled for Friday, February 20th at 3:10pm at the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan.
Where to watch the USA vs. Slovakia men’s hockey semifinal
NBC will broadcast the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey semifinal between the United States and Slovakia on Friday.
Watch USA vs. Slovakia on Peacock
Will there be a live stream of the Olympic men’s semifinals?
Streaming options for the game include NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics app (with cable TV or satellite login). You can also stream the game on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service.
Connor Hellebuyck vs. Samuel Hlavijk, who upset Finland in the qualifying round.
With captain Sidney Crosby playing without an injury, Canada came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Finland 3-2 and advance to the gold medal match. Nathan MacKinnon overcame a last-minute offside challenge to score. Canada will face the winner of the U.S.-Slovakia match in Sunday’s gold medal game. 2022 Olympic champion Finland will face the loser in Saturday’s bronze medal match.
Slovakia defeated the United States in a penalty shootout in 2022. The United States defeated Slovakia in the qualifying round and qualifying match in 2018.
He scored four goals in four games during those Olympics, posting a .98 goals against average and a .958 save percentage.
Mike Brehm, USA TODAY – USA 3, Slovakia 2: Goalie Connor Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the tournament. That alone should be enough to send the U.S. to the championship game. But the Americans have also found enough offense to overcome any adversity that comes their way.
Jace Evans, USA TODAY – USA 5, Slovakia 2: The difference in talent will be on display this time as well. The United States lost badly in the quarterfinals, but the Swedish team, which brought the same number of NHL players to the game, emerged victorious. Slovakia has only seven NHL players in its lineup.
Helen St. James, Detroit Free Press – US 4, Slovakia 2: The Americans faced their first true adversity in the quarterfinals, unable to score from Sweden like the Americans had done in the round robin. They lost a 1-0 lead with 91 seconds left in regulation and had to reset, but they came out of it as the aces. Slovakia had a great tournament, but America has better depth.
