The U.S. men’s hockey team to face Slovakia for a spot in an Olympic gold medal match
MILAN — The U.S. men’s hockey team is set to face Slovakia in the Olympic semifinals Friday night in Milan.
No matter the result Friday, the Americans have already earned the chance to play for a medal; a win will send them through to the gold medal match on Sunday, while a loss will set them up for Saturday’s bronze medal match.
The U.S. is looking for its first Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey since the famed “Miracle on Ice” team in 1980, and its first medal of any color since 2010, when the Americans won silver after losing to Canada in the final match.
This is the first Olympic Games since 2014 in which NHL players have been allowed to compete. Their participation has led to a thrilling knockout round in which three of four quarterfinals went to overtime.
The U.S. roster is composed entirely of NHL players. Their considerable star power includes the Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, last season’s league-leading goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, and the Tkachuk brothers Matthew and Brady, wingers for the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators, respectively. On Wednesday, the game-winning overtime goal was scored by Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild, who in 2024 was named the NHL’s best defenseman.
Slovakia, by contrast, includes only seven NHL players (including Juraj Slafkovsky, the fifth-leading points scorer in the Olympic tournament.
In Friday’s earlier semifinal match, Canada prevailed 3-2 over Finland after trailing early — but two goals in the third period, first the equalizer by Shea Theodore, then the last-minute power play game-winner by Nathan MacKinnon, gave Canadians a berth in the final and with it a chance to win their 10th all-time Olympic gold.
Canada, the favorite coming into the Olympics, have now struggled in two consecutive games. First, in the quarterfinal, Czechia took a 3-2 lead with under 8 minutes to play in the third period (on a controversial play which officials admitted should have been penalized for too many men on the ice).
Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, the two-time gold medalist in 2010 and 2014, was hurt in the game against Czechia and missed all of Friday’s game.
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