MILAN \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs that period went on, that first period, I didn\u2019t love it,\u201d Canada\u2019s coach explained. \u201cThere was an opportunity I saw on a faceoff. They went together and showed what they needed to show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper leaned on the loaded-up line the rest of the way during Canada\u2019s 5-1 win over Switzerland. The victory allowed Canada to clinch top spot in their group and secure a bye to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Tom Wilson had been playing on the top line and actually produced an assist earlier in the first period. <\/p>\n
\u201cWilly was playing great,\u201d MacKinnon said. \u201cThey scored a goal. I\u2019m not really sure why [the change was made], but I\u2019m ready to play wherever. I\u2019ve 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
MacKinnon set up Celebrini for a goal in the second period and scored one of his own in the third period. But it\u2019s McDavid who is leading the way right now with six points in two games at the Olympics. <\/p>\n
Even a guy like MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 40 goals this season, can appreciate how special this is. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said it wasn\u2019t cool,\u201d MacKinnon said of lining up beside McDavid. \u201cI love the game. Like, I\u2019m inspired by Connor. I think he\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s not always instant chemistry. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are three phenomenal players, generational these kids,\u201d Cooper praised. \u201cBut, in saying that, you don\u2019t know how that chemistry is going to go all the time. They\u2019re 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\u2019s only one puck, and now sacrifices have to be made. But, ultimately, they did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper stressed he will judge the line based on their defensive play as well and on Friday night they passed with flying colours. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the game was still in the balance, those guys were a big reason the tide turned,\u201d Cooper added. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s coming to play,\u201d said defenceman Thomas Harley, who scored Canada\u2019s second goal courtesy a McDavid assist. \u201cHe\u2019s leading by example out there with his physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Glauser, who plays with Roman Josi on Switzerland\u2019s top pair, was forced to leave the game.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s weird,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cWe talked to [McDavid] after 4 Nations and he didn\u2019t think he was at his best in that tournament … I think he\u2019s come in here on a mission and you\u2019re watching it. These are the best players in the world and he\u2019s finding a way to rise above and it\u2019s a lot of fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDavid finished last year\u2019s 4 Nations Face-Off event with five points in four games, including scoring the overtime winner in the final against the United States. <\/p>\n
McDavid published an essay on the Players\u2019 Tribune on the eve of the Olympics explaining just how much this moment means to him. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s flying,\u201d MacKinnon said. \u201cHe\u2019s flying. It\u2019s nice to have him on your own team when he\u2019s flying like that. What words can I say? He\u2019s a special player and he\u2019s ready to go, and that article that he wrote sums up his mindset for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n
Connor McDavid: \u201cI just want to win something again.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s 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\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/kU6r34i7p5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Players\u2019 Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n MacKinnon describing Celebrini as \u201cmaybe the second best player in the world\u201d 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\u2019s top line.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun to play with those two guys,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cYou just need to watch them to know what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAfter [my] goal, Connor said to Mac right away, you know, it\u2019s all him,\u201d MacKinnon said. \u201cThat\u2019s all [the work on the] forecheck. Take that bump [from a Swiss defender], slip it in to Connor, like that is elite. It\u2019s a very hard play. It\u2019s not the flashiest play ever, but it\u2019s a very difficult play to make.\u201d<\/p>\n Celebrini\u2019s determination was evident after taking an offensive-zone penalty on his previous shift. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a bad a penalty to take, especially at that point of the game, and I know it,\u201d the 19-year-old said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe told me he was s\u2014ting his pants when he went in the box,\u201d defenceman Drew Doughty revealed with a grin. \u201cI was like, \u2018Buddy, what do you got to worry about? You got the best PKers in Canada behind you.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Canada did indeed kill off the penalty. <\/p>\n Celebrini, meanwhile, has now scored in both games in Milan. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot to learn with these kids, and he has a special talent, with his instincts, hockey sense, and all of those things,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n With MacKinnon on the top line, Nick Suzuki moved to his natural centre spot between Wilson and Brandon Hagel. <\/p>\n \u201cSuzuki is a Swiss Army knife,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cThat kid could play anywhere. He could play goal if we asked him to.\u201d <\/p>\n The one line that Cooper has not touched is Sidney Crosby between Vegas Golden Knights teammates Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re kind of a stabilizer for us,\u201d Cooper told TSN\u2019s Ryan Rishaug. \u201cClearly we\u2019re going to talk about Celebrini and the Macs, but that line\u2019s been outstanding for us. I just call them stabilizers. Marner, Stone and Crosby, they just calm the waters. And they\u2019re pretty damn good players.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper has been sending out the Crosby line to start periods. <\/p>\n \u201cAll three of us have a defensive mindset,\u201d Marner said. \u201cTrying to make sure we\u2019re being smart with our pucks and not forcing stuff and putting it in the right spot for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n After making a beautiful play to create Stone\u2019s goal in Thursday\u2019s 5-0 win over Czechia, Marner delivered another nice setup on Crosby\u2019s goal on Friday. <\/p>\n \u201cWe just keep talking a lot and that\u2019s the great thing about Sid,\u201d said Marner, who grew up idolizing Crosby like so many Canadian kids. \u201cHe communicates a lot to Stoney and I about where he wants us to be, where he likes us to be in certain spots. We\u2019re getting better as the games go on. Stoney and I have pretty good chemistry out there so we move pretty well, and it\u2019s pretty easy to play with Sid, if I\u2019m going to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Crosby\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen Switzerland really pushed us, I thought we pushed back really well and did our thing,\u201d Marner said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe look good,\u201d said Doughty, who helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014. \u201cEvery 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.\u201d <\/p>\n ‘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. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Seth Jarvis made his Olympic debut on Friday replacing Brad Marchand in the lineup. Cooper said Marchand will be back in on Sunday. <\/p>\n Defenceman Josh Morrissey missed the game and will remain sidelined on Sunday after getting hurt in the Olympic opener. <\/p>\n \u201cYou will not see him next game, but by no means is he out for the tournament,\u201d Cooper said.<\/p>\n Travis Sanheim replaced Morrissey in the lineup for Friday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s different,\u201d Harley said. \u201cI like it. Coop said before the game that when we score and it\u2019s silent you gotta enjoy that silence. It\u2019s just you and the other 24 guys cheering.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we can stop that from that happening again,\u201d Harley said. \u201cBut I guess the Swiss are pretty passionate fans.\u201d <\/p>\n Didn\u2019t 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<\/a><\/p>\n