The Florida Panthers have seven players battling for gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — with six playing to move on this morning.
All seven are technically playing for a medal; with four teams remaining, all will at least play in the bronze-medal game come Saturday.
But a win on Friday puts them in the gold medal game.
Canada and Finland open things up this morning at 10:40 (USA Network, Peacock) with six Panthers vying for a berth in Sunday’s championship game.
Canada features three Florida players: Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett.
Finland also has three Panthers: Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola.
So, six Panthers will be fighting for the right to play for gold in this morning’s semifinal from Milan.
All of them have won the Stanley Cup together — but this is something different.
It certainly should be fun.
“We’re brothers. We’ve been playing for years together,’’ Lundell said per NHL.com.
“We’ve been winning together. You know, we’ve been through it all together. But this is a different mindset. Now we’re enemies. Now we’re on different sides.”
The semifinal between Finland and Canada should be one heck of an appetizer for the second game between Team USA and Slovakia.
Slovakia has been the Cinderella Story of these Olympic games with just seven NHL players on their squad.
As close as things have been thus far — three of the four quarterfinal games went to overtime — the USA/Slovakia game (3:10 p.m./NBC) could be a rout.
But, we shall see.
Matthew Tkachuk will represent the Panthers for Team USA and should be playing on Sunday against either Canada or Finland.
In the semifinal round, the losers do not go home.
But they will not play for gold.
“Fortunately for us, we’re still here,” Tkachuk told NHL.com.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
MEN’S HOCKEY SCHEDULE
Today — Semifinals: Canada vs. Finland, 10:40 a.m. (USA Network, Peacock); United States vs. Slovakia, 3:10 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Saturday — Bronze medal game: 2:40 p.m. (USA, Peacock)
Sunday — Gold medal game: 8:10 a.m. (NBC, Peacock)
OLYMPIC RESULTS
Day 1 — Group B: Slovakia 4, Finland 1; Sweden 5 Italy 2
Day 2 — Group A: Switzerland 4, France 0; Canada 5, Czechia 0. Group C: United States 5, Latvia 1; Germany 3, Denmark 1
Day 3 — Group B: Finland 4, Sweden 1; Slovakia 3, Italy 2. Group A: Czechia 6, France 3; Canada 5, Switzerland 1
Day 4 (Saturday) — Group B: Sweden 5, Slovakia 3; Finland 11, Italy 0. Group C: Latvia 4, Germany 3; USA 6, Denmark 3
Day 5 (Sunday) — Group A: Switzerland 4, Czechia 3 (OT); Canada 10, France 2. Group C: Denmark 4, Latvia 2; USA 5, Germany 1
Tuesday’s Qualifiers: Germany 5, France 1; Switzerland 3, Italy 0; Czechia 3, Denmark 2; Sweden 5, Latvia 1.
Wednesday’s Quarterfinals: Slovakia 6, Germany 2; Canada 4, Czechia 3 (OT); Finland 3, Switzerland 2 (OT); United States 2, Sweden 1 (OT)
FLORIDA PANTHERS
2026 MILAN CORTINA OLYMPIC GAMES
United States (4-0-0): F Matthew Tkachuk (4 GP, 0-5, 5 points); D Seth Jones (injured), Bill Zito (assistant GM), Teddy Richards (equipment manager)
Canada (4-0-0): F Sam Reinhart (4 GP; 0-1, 1); F Brad Marchand (2 GP, 0-1, 1); C Sam Bennett (3 GP; 0-1, 1)
Finland (3-1-0): C Sasha Barkov (injured), F Eetu Luostarinen (4 GP; 0-4, 4); D Niko Mikkola (4 GP, 0-3, 3); C Anton Lundell (3 GP; 1-1, 2); Tuomo Ruutu (assistant coach)
Sweden* (3-1-1): D Gus Forsling (5 GP; 1-1, 2); Myles Fee (video coach)
Germany* (2-3-0): Jamie Kompon (assistant coach)
Latvia* (1-3-0): D Uvis Balinskis (4 GP; 0-1, 1); F Sandis Vilmanis(4 GP; 0-0, 0)
(*) — Eliminated
