How to Watch, Lineups, Keys to the G

The final event of the 2026 Winter Olympics has been one in the making for 16 years. Team USA and Team Canada meet again in the Gold Medal Game at 8:10 AM from Milan, Italy.

This highly-anticipated matchup is a rematch of last year’s 4Nations Faceoff championship game. It is also the third time in Olympic history that USA and Canada will meet in the Gold Medal Game. Canada won gold over the US in both 2002 and 2010.

Both Team USA and Team Canada are undefeated in the Olympics. Canada has survived in a pair of one-goal games following a dominant preliminary round. Meanwhile, Team USA followed up an overtime win over Sweden in the Quarterfinals with a dominant 6-2 win over Slovakia in the Semifinals.

How to WatchTime: 8:10 AMLocation: Milano Santagiulia IHO in Milan, ItalyTV: NBCStreaming: PeacockProjected Team USA Lines vs. CanadaForwards

7 Brady Tkachuk – 9 Jack Eichel – 19 Matthew Tkachuk
59 Jake Guentzel – 34 Auston Matthews – 12 Matt Boldy
86 Jack Hughes – 21 Dylan Larkin – 72 Tage Thompson
10 J.T. Miller – 29 Brock Nelson – 16 Vincent Trocheck
91 Clayton Keller

Defense

43 Quinn Hughes – 25 Charlie McAvoy
74 Jaccob Slavin – 14 Brock Faber
85 Jake Sanderson – 8 Zach Werenski
15 Noah Hanifin

Goalies

37 Connor Hellebuyck
30 Jake Oettinger

Scratches: 1 Jeremy Swayman, 2 Jackson LaCombe, 81 Kyle Connor

Opponent Snapshot: Team CanadaTeam Record: 3-0 in preliminary play, 5-0 in OlympicsWho’s hot?: Connor McDavid leads the Olympics with 13 points, including 11 assists. Macklin Celebrini has five goals and 10 points in the tournament. Nathan MacKinnon was the hero of the Semifinal game against Finland, scoring his fourth goal of the tournament on the power play in the final minute of the third period.Who’s in goal?: Jordan Binnington will get the start for Team Canada in the Gold Medal Game. Binnington has appeared in four of Canada’s five games in the tournament. He has a 4-0 record with a 1.74 GAA and .914 save percentage.Injuries: Captain Sidney Crosby is a game-time decision. Defenseman Josh Morrissey is out for Sunday’s game.Keys to the GameThe Battle in Net: One area where Team USA has an edge is in net. Hellebuyck has been the leading netminder at the Winter Olympics, but Binnington is not far behind. Binnington has the reputation for coming through in the biggest moments, so Hellebuyck needs to be ready for the high-powered Canadian offense.Stay Out of the Box: While Team USA has a strong power play, converting at a 28.6 percent success rate, Team Canada has dominated on special teams. Canada has a 43.8 percent success rate on the power play in the Olympics, and with a top unit that boasts McDavid, MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Celebrini, and would likely include Crosby, it’s easy to see why it has been so successful.Hot at the Right Time: After the preliminary round, it seemed like this was Canada’s tournament to lose. But now, Canada has pulled off a pair of come-from-behind victories to reach the Gold Medal Game, while Team USA appears to be hitting their stride following their most convincing win of the tournament in the Semifinals. Could Team USA be getting hot at the perfect time to claim gold?By the NumbersConnor Hellebuyck leads all goalies at the Olympics with a 1.23 GAA and .947 save percentage in four games.Team USA and Team Canada enter Sunday’s game with the same amount of shots on goal in the tournament: 201. Team Canada has scored 27 goals, while Team USA has 24 goals.Sunday marks the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, Team USA’s monumental win over the Soviet Union in 1980. Two days after that historic victory, Team USA claimed the gold medal over Finland. A win on Sunday would snap a 46-year drought for Team USA men’s hockey in pursuit of the gold medal.X-FactorsTeam USA: All eyes fall on the captain in critical moments. Could this be the time for Auston Matthews to get his? Matthews has six points in the Olympics, including three goals.Team Canada: Sidney Crosby may not be 100 percent, but do not discount his ability to come through in the clutch. Crosby was notable the scorer of the golden goal in the 2010 meeting between the US and Canada, and the future Hall-of-Famer could have one more significant Olympic moment in him.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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