2026 Milano Cortina Olympics On Tap: Quarterfinals begin Wednesday

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 have begun. The men’s hockey tournament, the first with NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, has reached the quarterfinals and will conclude with the gold medal game Sunday. The top four seeds from the preliminary round received byes to the quarterfinals, where they will meet the winners of the four qualification playoff games.

Here is a look at the games Wednesday:

(3) Team Slovakia vs. (6) Team Germany (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, ICI TOU.TV, CBC Gem, SN, RDS)

How they got here

Germany (2-0-2-0, second in Group C): Defeated Team Denmark 3-1, lost to Team Latvia 4-3, lost to Team USA 5-1, defeated Team France 5-1 in the qualification playoff.

Slovakia (2-0-1-0, first in Group B): Defeated Team Finland 4-1, defeated Team Italy 3-2, lost to Team Sweden 5-3.

Player to watch

Germany: Tim Stutzle had two assists for Germany in a 5-1 win against France in the qualification round Tuesday. The forward has six points (four goals, two assists) in four games at the Olympics. Stutzle has 61 points (28 goals, 33 assists) in 57 games with the Ottawa Senators this season.

Slovakia: Juraj Slafkovsky has six points (three goals, three assists) in three games at the Olympics and is a big reason Slovakia finished first in Group B. Selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old forward has 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games this season.

Will win if

Germany: Its NHL players led by forwards Leon Draisaitl, JJ Peterka and Stutzle have another strong outing like they did against France. Draisaitl and Stutzle are both playing well in their first Olympics. Draisaitl, the Germany captain, has six points (two goals, four assists) and Peterka has four points (one goal, three assists) in four games. Draisaitl (one goal, two assists) combined for five points with Edmonton Oilers teammate Josh Samanski (one goal, one assist) in the win against France.

Slovakia: Slafkovsky has another impressive game for Slovakia. He had a strong opening game with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win against Finland, which helped pave the way for Slovakia to finish first in Group B. Slovakia will also have to play well defensively. Germany has some exceptional offensive talent that will need to be kept in check.

EDGE Stats to watch

Germany defenseman Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings) ranks third in the entire NHL in total skating distance (213.65 miles), sixth in long-range shots on goal (74) and in the 96th percentile at his position in hardest shot (98.93 mph).

The skinny

This should be a very competitive quarterfinal, with both teams capable of playing a strong game at both ends of the ice. The battle between Draisaitl and Slafkovsky should be intriguing. Whoever has the better game for their respective team will likely determine who moves on to the semifinal. Slovakia will be the fresher team not having played Tuesday.

(1) Team Canada vs. (8) Team Czechia (10:40 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, TSN, CBC)

Czechia (2-0-1-1, third in Group A): Lost to Team Canada 5-0, defeated Team France 6-3, lost to Team Switzerland 4-3 in OT, defeated Team Denmark 3-2 in the qualification playoff.

Canada (3-0-0-0, first in Group A): Defeated Team Czechia 5-0, defeated Team Switzerland 5-1, defeated Team France 10-2.

Player to watch

Czechia: Martin Necas had a goal and assist in a 3-2 win against Team Denmark on Tuesday. The Colorado Avalanche forward has seven points (three goals, four assists) in four games at the Olympics. He has 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists) in 52 games for Colorado this season.

Canada: Connor McDavid had three points in each of his first three games at the Olympics and leads all players with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in three games. The Edmonton Oilers captain is leading the NHL scoring race with 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 58 games.

Will win if

Czechia: Lukas Dostal has a monster game, which is the only chance it has to pull off the huge upset. The goalie for the Anaheim Ducks gave up five goals on 36 shots in a 5-0 loss to Canada in group play. He has a 3.65 goals-against average and .879 save percentage in three games at the Olympics but is capable of coming up with a big performance when needed.

Canada: Its goaltending holds up. Canada should be able to advance with the amount of talent on its roster, but goaltending was a question heading into the tournament. Goalie Jordan Binnington has been good so far, conceding two goals in his first two starts. A bad goal or two, however, could set the stage for an upset.

EDGE Stats to watch

Canada forward Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) leads the NHL in midrange shots on goal (110) and midrange goals (16), as well as ranking second in 20-plus mph speed bursts (307) behind only Team Canada teammate Connor McDavid (494) in the category.

The skinny

Team Canada simply has too many weapons for Team Czechia to handle. Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 in its opening game of the tournament, and the margin of victory could have been higher. Czechia will need big performances from its NHL players on the roster and an all-world goaltending performance to pull off the upset. But if Canada plays up to its capabilities, it will be difficult to beat.

(4) Team Finland vs. (5) Team Switzerland (12:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, SN)

Switzerland (2-1-1-0, second in Group A): Defeated Team France 4-0, lost to Team Canada 5-1, defeated Team Czechia 4-3 in OT, defeated Team Italy 3-0 in qualification playoff game.

Finland (2-0-1-0, second in Group B): Lost to Team Slovakia 4-1, defeated Team Sweden 4-1, defeated Team Italy 11-0.

Player to watch

Switzerland: Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists in the 3-0 win against Italy on Tuesday. The New Jersey Devils forward has four points (one goal, three assists) in four games for Switzerland at the Olympics. Selected by New Jersey with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, he has 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 57 games this season.

Finland: Mikko Rantanen has four points (one goal, three assists) in three games for Finland. The Dallas Stars forward headlines a strong team full of NHL players. Rantanen has 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists) in 54 games this season. He had three assists in a convincing 11-0 win against Italy in the group stage.

Will win if

Switzerland: Goalie Leonardo Genoni has an outstanding game. He made 20 saves in a 3-0 win against Italy on Tuesday but is expected to be a lot busier against Finland. The 38-year-old, who plays for EV Zug in Switzerland, has an impressive 0.99 GAA with a .962 save percentage in three games. He will have to be the best player for Team Switzerland to pull off the upset.

Finland: It can put together another solid effort similar to the one against Team Sweden, winning 4-1. Finland has enough talent to get past Switzerland. It will be important to try and score early and not let Switzerland hang around in the game and grow in confidence.

EDGE Stats to watch

Finland forward Rantanen (Dallas Stars) ranks tied for sixth in the entire NHL in high-danger goals (17) and in the 91st percentile at his position in midrange shots on goal (50) and total skating distance (165.12 miles).

The skinny

With all the NHL talent on its roster, Team Finland should be able to handle Team Switzerland. However, the Swiss should not be underestimated and are capable of pulling off a big upset. If Finland goalie Juuse Saros continues to play well, it should be able to move to the semifinal.

(2) Team United States vs. (7) Team Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, NBC, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, SN)

Sweden (3-0-1-0, third in Group B): Defeated Team Italy 5-2, lost to Team Finland 4-1, defeated Team Slovakia 5-3, defeated Team Latvia 5-1 in qualification playoff game.

United States (3-0-0-0, first in Group C): Defeated Team Latvia 5-1, defeated Team Denmark 6-3, defeated Team Germany 5-1.

Player to watch

Sweden: Forward Lucas Raymond had three assists in the 5-1 win against Latvia on Tuesday and leads Sweden in scoring with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in four games. A forward with the Detroit Red Wings, Raymond has 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 56 games this season and has been the most dangerous player offensively for Sweden at the Olympics.

United States: Forward Auston Matthews has five points (three goals, two assists) in three games. The Toronto Maple Leafs captain has 48 points (26 goals, 22 assists) in 51 games this season. Matthews had two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win against Germany in the final Group C game for the United States.

Will win if

Sweden: Jacob Markstrom has an outstanding game to keep the United States from running away with it. The New Jersey Devils goalie is capable of stealing a game and will have to be at his very best in the quarterfinal. This is the third meeting at the Olympics with NHL players against the United States. Sweden won 2-1 in the round-robin in 2006 and 4-2 in the round-robin in 1998.

United States: It can get timely saves from goalie Connor Hellebuyck and generate enough quality scoring opportunities to trouble Markstrom. The United States should have enough offense to get past Sweden if it can convert on its opportunities. Scoring first will be key for the U.S.; it does not want to have to chase the game by falling behind against a talented Sweden blue line, led by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

EDGE Stats to watch

United States forward Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) leads the NHL in offensive zone time percentage (49.5) and ranks among the forward leaders in both high-danger shots on goal (58; 95th percentile) and hardest shot (91.14 mph; 90th percentile).

The skinny

It will be important for the United States not to look past Sweden. This is a tougher quarterfinal matchup than expected with Sweden losing its first game to Finland and finishing third in Group B based on goal difference. The United States may look to have the stronger roster, but Sweden is loaded with international experience and has grown stronger as its gone along in the tournament.