The United States battered Slovakia 6-2 and Canada edged Finland 3-2 to set up the Gold medal game that many have been waiting for since last season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk collected the secondary assist on Jack Eichel’s goal which put the Americans up 4-0 in the second period. It was his sixth helper of the tournament. Tkachuk registered two shots on goal and received a ten-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. He logged 15:41 of ice time and finished with an even rating.
The six Panthers that took part in the the semifinal between Canada and Finland definitely made their presence felt, both positively and negatively.
Sam Reinhart got Canada on the board with a huge power-play goal at 14:20 of the second period when Cale Makar fired a shot off his stick and it redirected past Juuse Saros. It was his first goal in Milan. He was also on the ice for Nathan MacKinnon’s game-winner with 36 seconds left in regulation. Reinhart played just 6:24 as the13th forwardand was credited with two shots and an even rating.
Sam Bennett took a goaltender interfence penalty in the first period and Sebastian Aho won the ensuing faceoff to Mikko Rantanen, who sniped Jordan Binnington. Bennett logged 10:31 of ice time, registered two shots on goal and finished with a plus-one rating as he was on the ice for Shea Theodore’s game-tying goal 10:34 into the third. He won five of 12 faceoffs, including the final defensive zone draw of the game.
Speaking of Theodore’s goal, Brad Marchand was pushed into Saros right before the defenseman scored. Marchand received 11:09 of ice time, had one shot on goal and posted a plus-one rating.
Anton Lundell took a high-sticking minor that led to Reinhart’s marker. Lundell led the Finns with five shots on goal, won 12 of 21 faceoffs and finished with an even rating. He logged 16:47 of ice time.
Niko Mikkola took a late high-sticking minor that set the stage for MacKinnon’s deciding goal. Mikkola played 18:38 and posted a plus-one rating as he was on the ice for Erik Haula’s shorthanded goal that put Finland up by two.
Eetu Luostarinen logged 17:01 of ice time and didn’t register a shot on Binnington. He was on the ice for Theodore’s goal and finished with a minus-one rating.
Today’s games at the 2026 Winter Olympics (Men’s tournament)
Bronze medal game: Slovakia vs. Finland 2:40 p.m.
Checkers
The Charlotte Checkers were blanked 4-0 by Brandon Halverson, who made 25 stops, and the Syracuse Crunch last night at Upstate Medical University Arena. Jack Devine led the Checkers with four shots on goal. Cooper Black took the loss, finishing with 35 saves. The teams will go at it again this evening.