{"id":465420,"date":"2026-02-21T05:24:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/465420\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T05:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:24:20","slug":"canada-to-play-for-gold-in-olympic-mens-hockey-after-comeback-win-over-finland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/465420\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada to play for gold in Olympic men\u2019s hockey after comeback win over Finland"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILAN \u2014 It was a goal a year in the making, a goal that did not come out of thin air, that was not merely the combination of the best player in the world setting up the second-best player in the world.<\/p>\n

No, when Nathan MacKinnon one-timed a Connor McDavid pass past Juuse Saros and into the back of the net with 35.2 seconds on the clock to give Canada a 3-2 lead, that goal was the culmination of hours of work in the most sophisticated hockey lab imaginable.<\/p>\n

That lab opened its doors at the 4 Nations Face-Off, when McDavid, MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart and Sidney Crosby were first united on Team Canada\u2019s power play. In the 12 months since, each of those players has been intensely focused on their NHL selves, their different teams, their day jobs.<\/p>\n

But in the back of their minds, the lab work was getting done. Conversations were taking place and solutions were being found on how the most lethal power play this game has seen in decades could somehow become even more lethal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was built through a lot, a lot of conversations over the course of a year, starting back at 4 Nations,\u201d said McDavid, who became the highest-scoring NHL player in Olympic history with his 12th and 13th points of the tournament. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked on this power play a lot, it\u2019s something we\u2019ve talked about a lot, and we do it for these big moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found a way to score a big one in a big moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

As much skill as it took for McDavid to find MacKinnon through a tight seam in the Finnish penalty kill and for MacKinnon to one-time that saucer pass, the whole play began with a very workmanlike effort from MacKinnon on the half wall.<\/p>\n

When McDavid first tried that seam pass a few moments earlier, Finland\u2019s Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen grazed the puck with his stick, leading it to bounce away from MacKinnon and to the boards. Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen and Rasmus Ristolainen gave chase, and MacKinnon was able to fend them both off long enough for Reinhart to arrive and sweep the puck behind the net, where it eventually found McDavid again in the right circle and wound up on MacKinnon\u2019s stick for the game-winner.<\/p>\n

After MacKinnon got done giving everyone else credit for his goal, Canada coach Jon Cooper felt the need to interject.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got rewarded for the wall battle right before that,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cIt had been a long shift for the guys. A long way to go on the change. But he won that wall battle and kept everything alive. And you know, eventually it gets around to McDavid, and throws it around again. (MacKinnon)\u2019s not giving himself enough credit.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

It says something about Canada\u2019s ridiculous depth that with Crosby absent due to an injury he suffered in the second period of the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic, his replacement on that power-play unit was Macklin Celebrini, the fourth-leading scorer in the NHL, who played a team-high 25:53 in the game and had eight shots on goal.<\/p>\n

Not a bad pinch-hitter.<\/p>\n

But Crosby\u2019s absence was most definitely felt and served as added motivation for Team Canada to reach Sunday\u2019s gold medal game and give him an opportunity to suit up after doing everything in his power to face Finland on Friday.<\/p>\n

McDavid wore the captain\u2019s \u201cC\u201d in Crosby\u2019s absence, but made sure to note he hoped it was very temporary. Cooper said after the game that Crosby is not ruled out to play Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust keeping the seat warm for Sid,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cHopefully we can see him back here on Sunday. I\u2019m sure it wasn\u2019t easy for him to miss tonight, and I\u2019m sure it was a long game to watch. I know that for a fact. But it means a lot to represent our country here as a team, in a sport we love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reason McDavid knows that for a fact is that Crosby was around the team before, and \u2014 perhaps more notably \u2014 during the game, in the room at intermissions trying to help Canada find solutions for Finland\u2019s trademark stifling defensive style.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe obviously has a great hockey mind,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cHe\u2019s watching the game closely and trying to dissect what they\u2019re doing. Giving out little pointers here or there of what we can look for. He was definitely there and having those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finland coach Antti Pennanen challenged MacKinnon\u2019s goal for an offside on the entry, creating a nervy moment in the building, but the goal was confirmed on review.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom our side,\u201d Pennanen said, \u201cit was offside.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Cooper said he immediately spoke to his video coach after the entry because he, too, thought it might be offside, and it took five seconds to get an answer that the entry was fine. So he had that answer before MacKinnon eventually scored.<\/p>\n

As for the high-sticking penalty MacKinnon drew on Finnish defenseman Niko Mikkola with 2:35 to play, Hockey Hall of Famer Teemu Sel\u00e4nne tweeted<\/a> after the game that it was embarrassing to see two Canadian referees \u2014 NHL officials Eric Furlatt and Dan O\u2019Rourke \u2014 calling that penalty that late in the game.<\/p>\n

Pennanen had no issue with the Canadian referees, saying postgame that Team Canada was a very good team that deserved to win.<\/p>\n

For a second consecutive game, Canada had to come from behind in the third period to continue its gold medal quest. Finland got a power-play goal from Mikko Rantanen and a short-handed breakaway goal from Erik Haula to jump out to a 2-0 lead a little more than three minutes into the second period.<\/p>\n

And the biggest source of Cooper\u2019s concern was Saros.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way he tracks pucks and the way he moves, I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a goalie in the league that does it better than he does,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cSo you\u2019re down 2-0, and you\u2019re thinking, OK, we\u2019ve got to pierce Finland\u2019s stout defense, but honestly the big worry for me is how are we going to get to Saros?\u201d<\/p>\n

But Finland seemed content to sit on that lead the rest of the period, and Canada eventually broke through when Sam Reinhart \u2014 who was the source of the Haula short-handed breakaway when he got pushed off the puck by Joel Armia \u2014 tipped home a Makar shot at 14:20 of the second period. Shea Theodore scored on a one-timer from the point at 10:34 of the third period to tie it up, rewarding Canada for the extent to which it carried play from the moment Haula scored at 3:26 of the second period to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n

With an assist on the Reinhart goal, Connor McDavid earned his 12th point of the tournament, setting a new Olympic record for an NHL player, one better than the 11 points Sel\u00e4nne and Saku Koivu had for Finland in 2006.<\/p>\n

McDavid wore the captain\u2019s \u201cC\u201d in the absence of Sidney Crosby, who injured his right leg in the second period of the quarterfinal overtime win against the Czech Republic. Crosby took to the ice Friday morning in an attempt to get into this game, but was ruled out roughly 80 minutes before puck drop.<\/p>\n

Down 2-0 in the second period, Canada coach Jon Cooper went back to his emergency top line, moving MacKinnon to the wing with McDavid and Macklin Celebrini. No Canadian skater played more than Celebrini through two periods, and the 19-year-old San Jose Sharks phenom finished with a game-high eight shots on goal, though for the first time in these Olympics, he did not score.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like a lot of the way we look when we are balanced. This just gives us a different look,\u201d Cooper said after practice Thursday. \u201cYou can\u2019t sit here and say because we put those three guys together, the rest of the team is not worthy. Look at what happened in that game, you got a huge goal from Suzuki that tied it and another from Marner to win it. So, I don\u2019t know, to me I\u2019m calling that balance as well. Maybe it\u2019s just a different look.\u201d<\/p>\n

Third-period adjustment by Canada<\/p>\n

Down 2-1 and looking for offense, Team Canada made a tangible adjustment to open the third period. With Finland collapsing down low so much while protecting the net, the Canadians started using their point men more, looking for point shots to get tips or rebounds. It finally led to Shea Theodore\u2019s blast from the point getting through and beating Saros top corner to tie the game 2-2.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about it,\u201d Team Canada winger Mitch Marner said. \u201cThey do a good job of packing it tight and making it hard to get to that slot. We have so many skilled guys at the top, too, that can get shots through and make plays. Massive goal by Theo there. Some big plays by Cale, Tows and the list goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Team Canada defenseman Thomas Harley: \u201cThey were collapsing really hard, taking away anything in the slot, so you just have to get it to the point and get it through and work from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morrissey out again<\/p>\n

Josh Morrissey was ruled out again for Team Canada, and it can\u2019t be understated what a loss that\u2019s been for the team in this tournament. He\u2019s their second-best defenseman after Makar. His loss has hampered what was supposed to be Canada\u2019s shutdown pair again with Colton Parayko, as it was at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. Morrissey went the full hour at practice on Tuesday on the eve of the quarterfinals and it sure appeared as though he was on the mend. But he missed that game, then skipped Thursday\u2019s optional practice before once again being scratched for Friday\u2019s semifinal. Not ideal.<\/p>\n

Team Canada has rotated a few defensemen with Parayko since his absence. It was Harley\u2019s turn Friday, which really makes the most sense as Harley and Morrissey share a similar skill set. That left Travis Sanheim and Drew Doughty as the third pairing for Friday\u2019s game. Sanheim pinched in a couple of times in the opening period to create some looks for Canada.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Canada\u2019s Sam Bennett collided with Finland goaltender Juuse Saros in the first period. (Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The costly Bennett penalty<\/p>\n

Sam Bennett has been known to collide with the odd NHL goalie. Sorry, Maple Leafs fans, we had to. But his goalie interference penalty in the opening period was ill-advised. Discipline is paramount at this stage of the Olympic tournament. One single penalty could be the deciding factor in a close game. With Bennett in the box after he collided with\u00a0 Saros, Rantanen ripped a one-timer top corner for a 1-0 Finland lead. So it was indeed a costly penalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I\u2019m not trying to take a penalty in a game like that,\u201d Bennett said postgame. \u201cI know how important it is to stay out of the box. The ref saw it a little differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horvat\u2019s expected role on the penalty kill has waned<\/p>\n

Bo Horvat began the tournament on Canada\u2019s top penalty-killing unit with Brandon Hagel. The rationale at the time was that Horvat had Canada\u2019s best faceoff numbers in the NHL this season, he played well on the penalty kill with the New York Islanders this season, and with Anthony Cirelli\u2019s late injury, Canada needed a partner for Hagel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s our best faceoff guy on both sides of the ice,\u201d Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer, who runs the penalty kill, said just before the tournament. \u201cHe\u2019s done a really good job on the Island. I talked to Bob Boughner and he\u2019s been very good there the first half, so we\u2019re going to start with that. But Hagel and Cirelli were two of the best in the world; they had great chemistry. So I don\u2019t know if we can rebuild that, but we\u2019re going to start with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horvat entered this game with a team-best 61 percent success rate in the faceoff circle, so in that sense, he was living up to the coaching staff\u2019s expectations. But Nick Suzuki has essentially replaced Horvat as Hagel\u2019s primary penalty killing partner and on Finland\u2019s first power play of the game, Horvat did not touch the ice.<\/p>\n

When Bennett took his goalie interference penalty, however, it was Horvat jumping over the boards with Hagel, despite the faceoff being on the right side. Horvat not only lost the faceoff to Sebastian Aho, but he lost it totally clean, allowing the puck to get to Rantanen quickly and his one-timer beat Jordan Binnington just as clean as Aho\u2019s faceoff win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILAN \u2014 It was a goal a year in the making, a goal that did not come out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,54125,4,2602],"class_list":{"0":"post-465420","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-mens-olympic-ice-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-olympics"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116106957658402975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}