MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 20: Sam Reinhart #13 of Team Canada celebrates with teammates Nathan MacKinnon #29 and Macklin Celebrini #17 of Team Canada after scoring a goal in the second period during the Men’s Semifinals Playoff match between Canada and Finland on day fourteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Jamie Squire
Getty Images
The game started on Friday at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena with Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett at center ice, Florida Panthers teammates during the NHL season but opponents in these Winter Olympics, waiting for the opening face off.
It ended with Bennett, two Panthers teammates and Canada now one win away from a gold medal.
The Canadians rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat Finland 3-2 in the first of two men’s ice hockey semifinals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Star Panthers winger Sam Reinhart, Shea Theodore and Nathan MacKinnon scored goals for Canada, with MacKinnon’s power-play goal with 35 seconds left serving as the game winner.
Canada will face the United States in the gold medal game at 8:10 a.m. Sunday (2:10 p.m. in Milan). The United States advanced to the gold medal game after a 6-2 win over Slovakia in the other semifinal.
Finland faces Slovakia in the bronze medal game at 2:40 p.m. Saturday (8:40 p.m. in Milan).
Each side of the Canada-Finland game had three Panthers players — Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola for Finland; Bennett, Reinhart and Brad Marchand for Canada — so a minimum of three Panthers were guaranteed to be in the gold medal game. A fourth in the United States’ Matthew Tkachuk, who had an assist in the semifinal against Slovakia and got into a mini scrap with Slovakia’s Erik Cernak (who plays for Florida’s in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning), joins that group of Panthers guaranteed to win medals.
Canada’s #09 Sam Bennett (R) and Finland’s #77 Niko Mikkola (C) fall into the goal during the men’s play-off semi-final ice hockey match between Canada and Finland at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 20, 2026. – POOL/AFP via Getty Images
And fittingly, with so many players from the same team in one game, the Panthers were in the middle of most of the action.
Finland went up 1-0 on a Mikko Rantanen goal with 3:05 left in the first period with a power-play goal. The man advantage opportunity for Finland came with Bennett in the box for Canada after he was called for goaltender interference when he collided with Mikkola in the crease, who then collided with Finland goaltender Juuse Saros.
The Finns then doubled their lead to 2-0 3:26 into the second period on a shorthanded goal by Erik Haula (a one-time Panther) before Canada began its push back.
Reinhart got Canada on the board with his first goal of the Olympics when he deflected in a Cale Makar shot past Saros with 5:40 left in the second period. The power play came after a Finland penalty that involved two Panthers — Lundell was called for high-sticking Marchand, one of his Panthers linemates.
Theodore tied the game for Canada with 9:26 left to play. Marchand and Bennett were on the ice for the game-tying goal.
And then MacKinnon completed the comeback with his power-play goal in the final minute of regulation — a power play that came because Mikkola was called for a high stick.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 1:13 PM.
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.