MILAN – Late in the first period on Friday night, Jon Cooper sent Nathan MacKinnon out for an offensive-zone faceoff with Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.
“As that period went on, that first period, I didn’t love it,” Canada’s coach explained. “There was an opportunity I saw on a faceoff. They went together and showed what they needed to show.”
Cooper leaned on the loaded-up line the rest of the way during Canada’s 5-1 win over Switzerland. The victory allowed Canada to clinch top spot in their group and secure a bye to the quarterfinals.
Tom Wilson had been playing on the top line and actually produced an assist earlier in the first period.
“Willy was playing great,” MacKinnon said. “They scored a goal. I’m not really sure why [the change was made], but I’m ready to play wherever. I’ve played right wing lots in my career. I understand the position and obviously playing with the best player in the world and maybe the second best player in the world in Macklin, it was a lot of fun.”
MacKinnon set up Celebrini for a goal in the second period and scored one of his own in the third period. But it’s McDavid who is leading the way right now with six points in two games at the Olympics.
Even a guy like MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 40 goals this season, can appreciate how special this is.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t cool,” MacKinnon said of lining up beside McDavid. “I love the game. Like, I’m inspired by Connor. I think he’s the best and he pushes me to try to be even better, just how amazing he is. To play on a line with him is a blessing … I wish I could put a couple more in for him. He gave me some good looks.”
‘It’s nice to have him on your own team’: MacKinnon on McDavid’s hot start After Canada’s dominant performance against Switzerland Friday, Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon praised his line mates Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini and explains how fortunate he is to be playing alongside the two best players in the world.
McDavid and MacKinnon are first and second in NHL scoring this season while Celebrini is fourth. A line with all three should be dynamite, but there’s not always instant chemistry.
“They are three phenomenal players, generational these kids,” Cooper praised. “But, in saying that, you don’t know how that chemistry is going to go all the time. They’re three centres. Now some guys have to take a step back. Not a step back, but play a little bit out of position. And, ultimately, they are three guys that want the puck and need the puck and there’s only one puck, and now sacrifices have to be made. But, ultimately, they did it.”
Cooper stressed he will judge the line based on their defensive play as well and on Friday night they passed with flying colours.
“When the game was still in the balance, those guys were a big reason the tide turned,” Cooper added.
Now, the question becomes whether Cooper continues to stick with a top-heavy approach on Sunday when Canada wraps up the preliminary round against France.
While top spot in the group is clinched, Canada can still secure the No. 1 seed heading into the knockout rounds. If Canada and the United States both go undefeated in the group stage, it will come down to goal differential. Canada is plus-nine through two games. The United States is plus-four with games remaining against Denmark on Saturday and Germany on Sunday.
Cooper goes with ‘monster’ top line of MacKinnon-McDavid-Celebrini in win over Swiss Mark Masters is joined by Pierre LeBrun and Ryan Rishaug to discuss Jon Cooper’s decision to go with a ‘monster’ top line of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini against Switzerland, McDavid’s incredible level of play through two games so far at the Olympics, and more.
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McDavid, again, set the tone for Canada on Friday. He opened the scoring with a short-side snipe on the power play. Then, after Switzerland scored to pull with 2-1, the Edmonton Oilers captain hammered defenceman Andrea Glauser with a big hit on the next shift.
“He’s coming to play,” said defenceman Thomas Harley, who scored Canada’s second goal courtesy a McDavid assist. “He’s leading by example out there with his physicality.”
Glauser, who plays with Roman Josi on Switzerland’s top pair, was forced to leave the game.
McDavid is already halfway to setting a scoring record for an NHL player at the Olympics. The current high-water mark is shared by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, who both had 11 points in helping Finland win silver in 2006 in Turin.
“It’s weird,” Cooper said. “We talked to [McDavid] after 4 Nations and he didn’t think he was at his best in that tournament … I think he’s come in here on a mission and you’re watching it. These are the best players in the world and he’s finding a way to rise above and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
McDavid finished last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off event with five points in four games, including scoring the overtime winner in the final against the United States.
McDavid published an essay on the Players’ Tribune on the eve of the Olympics explaining just how much this moment means to him.
“He’s flying,” MacKinnon said. “He’s flying. It’s nice to have him on your own team when he’s flying like that. What words can I say? He’s a special player and he’s ready to go, and that article that he wrote sums up his mindset for sure.”
Connor McDavid: “I just want to win something again.
That’s what was so incredible about the 4 Nations last year. When I pulled on my jersey for the final against the U.S., I remembered that it had been eight years since that World Championship gold medal in Moscow. That was the… pic.twitter.com/kU6r34i7p5
— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 12, 2026
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MacKinnon describing Celebrini as “maybe the second best player in the world” certainly raised eyebrows, but the San Jose Sharks sophomore is clearly showing he belongs on this stage and is more than capable of riding shotgun on Canada’s top line.
“It’s fun to play with those two guys,” Celebrini said. “You just need to watch them to know what I’m talking about.”
“After [my] goal, Connor said to Mac right away, you know, it’s all him,” MacKinnon said. “That’s all [the work on the] forecheck. Take that bump [from a Swiss defender], slip it in to Connor, like that is elite. It’s a very hard play. It’s not the flashiest play ever, but it’s a very difficult play to make.”
Celebrini’s determination was evident after taking an offensive-zone penalty on his previous shift.
“That’s a bad a penalty to take, especially at that point of the game, and I know it,” the 19-year-old said.
“He told me he was s—ting his pants when he went in the box,” defenceman Drew Doughty revealed with a grin. “I was like, ‘Buddy, what do you got to worry about? You got the best PKers in Canada behind you.’”
Canada did indeed kill off the penalty.
Celebrini, meanwhile, has now scored in both games in Milan.
“There is a lot to learn with these kids, and he has a special talent, with his instincts, hockey sense, and all of those things,” Cooper said. “But you still have to pull some of the risk out of your game … Part of being a superstar is having some patience, and he is learning that.”
Celebrini enjoyed playing on line with ‘two special players’ McDavid and MacKinnon Team Canada forward Macklin Celebrini spoke with TSN’s Ryan Rishaug after Canada’s win against Switzerland in their second game of the Winter Olympics, and discussed what it was like to play on the top line with Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
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With MacKinnon on the top line, Nick Suzuki moved to his natural centre spot between Wilson and Brandon Hagel.
“Suzuki is a Swiss Army knife,” Cooper said. “That kid could play anywhere. He could play goal if we asked him to.”
The one line that Cooper has not touched is Sidney Crosby between Vegas Golden Knights teammates Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.
“They’re kind of a stabilizer for us,” Cooper told TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. “Clearly we’re going to talk about Celebrini and the Macs, but that line’s been outstanding for us. I just call them stabilizers. Marner, Stone and Crosby, they just calm the waters. And they’re pretty damn good players.”
Cooper has been sending out the Crosby line to start periods.
“All three of us have a defensive mindset,” Marner said. “Trying to make sure we’re being smart with our pucks and not forcing stuff and putting it in the right spot for one another.”
After making a beautiful play to create Stone’s goal in Thursday’s 5-0 win over Czechia, Marner delivered another nice setup on Crosby’s goal on Friday.
“We just keep talking a lot and that’s the great thing about Sid,” said Marner, who grew up idolizing Crosby like so many Canadian kids. “He communicates a lot to Stoney and I about where he wants us to be, where he likes us to be in certain spots. We’re getting better as the games go on. Stoney and I have pretty good chemistry out there so we move pretty well, and it’s pretty easy to play with Sid, if I’m going to be honest.”
Crosby’s goal on Friday came after Switzerland experienced a spell of offensive-zone time and nearly scored to pull within one goal in the third period.
“When Switzerland really pushed us, I thought we pushed back really well and did our thing,” Marner said.
“We look good,” said Doughty, who helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014. “Every time the other team pushes back on us, we respond right away. We need to keep building our game. I think we still got even more in us.”
‘Pretty easy to play with Sid’: Marner adds another beautiful assist to Olympic resume Team Canada forward Mitch Marner spoke with TSN’s Ryan Rishaug after Canada’s victory over Switzerland in their second game at the Winter Olympics. Marner discussed the team’s improvement so far and playing on a line with Sidney Crosby, who finished off a beautiful feed from Marner in the win.
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Seth Jarvis made his Olympic debut on Friday replacing Brad Marchand in the lineup. Cooper said Marchand will be back in on Sunday.
Defenceman Josh Morrissey missed the game and will remain sidelined on Sunday after getting hurt in the Olympic opener.
“You will not see him next game, but by no means is he out for the tournament,” Cooper said.
Travis Sanheim replaced Morrissey in the lineup for Friday’s game.
Milano Cortina 2026: Men’s Hockey – Switzerland 1, Canada 5 Connor McDavid opened the scoring on the man advantage in the first and after Thomas Harley put Canada up a pair, Pius Suter and the Swiss struck back to end Canada’s shutout streak. Macklin Celebrini scored his second of the tournament before Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon added insurance markers in the third. Logan Thompson made 24 saves after getting the nod to help keep Canada undefeated through two games.
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Canada is not the fan favourite so far at these Olympics with Czech and Swiss supporters making up the majority of the crowd in the first two games.
“It’s different,” Harley said. “I like it. Coop said before the game that when we score and it’s silent you gotta enjoy that silence. It’s just you and the other 24 guys cheering.”
Sam Bennett clipped Nico Hischier with a high stick on an attempted open-ice hit in the second period, which went uncalled. That led a couple beers to be tossed on the ice in the middle of play.
“Hopefully we can stop that from that happening again,” Harley said. “But I guess the Swiss are pretty passionate fans.”
Didn’t know I would be dodging cups of beer between the benches. Swiss fans unhappy with some in calls and wasting perfectly good beers. pic.twitter.com/tMR3AkBnMh
— Mike Johnson (@mike_p_johnson) February 13, 2026
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Team Canada lines to start Friday’s game:
Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Hagel – MacKinnon – Suzuki
Marner – Crosby – Stone
Jarvis – Horvat – Reinhart
Bennett
Toews – Makar
Theodore – Parayko
Harley – Doughty
Sanheim
Thompson starts
Kuemper
Scratches: Marchand, Binnington
Injured: Morrissey
Team Switzerland lines to start Friday’s game:
Fiala – Hischier – Meier
Andrighetto – Malgin – Niederreiter
Kurashev – Suter – Thurkauf
Riat – Jager – Bertschy
Schmid
Josi – Glauser
Siegenthaler – Kukan
Marti – Moser
Fora
Schmid starts
Genoni
Scratches: Berra, Berni, Knak