2026 Milano Cortina Olympics On Tap: Canada-U.S. gold medal game on Sunday

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are coming to a close. The men’s hockey tournament, the first with NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, will conclude with the bronze medal game between Team Finland and Team Slovakia on Saturday, and gold medal game between Team Canada and Team United States on Sunday. Canada defeated Finland 3-2 in the first semifinal and the United States defeated Slovakia 6-2 in the second semifinal Friday.

Here is a look at the Finland-Slovakia bronze medal game Saturday, and Canada-United States gold medal game Sunday:

Bronze medal game

(3) Team Slovakia vs. (4) Team Finland (2:40 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, CBC [JIP]).

How they got here

Slovakia (3-0-2-0, first in Group B): Defeated Team Finland 4-1, defeated Team Italy 3-2, lost to Team Sweden 5-3, defeated Team Germany 6-2, lost to Team United States 6-2.

Finland (2-1-2-0, second in Group B): Lost to Team Slovakia 4-1, defeated Team Sweden 4-1, defeated Team Italy 11-0, defeated Team Switzerland 3-2 (OT), lost to Team Canada 3-2.

Player to watch

Slovakia: Samuel Hlavaj was pulled at 12:33 of the second period after giving up four goals on 23 shots in the 6-2 loss against the United States in the semifinal. With the game out of reach, the goalie was rested and is expected to get the start again with an opportunity to help Slovakia win its second consecutive Olympic bronze medal. The 24-year-old Minnesota Wild prospect, currently playing with Iowa of the American Hockey League, has a 3.39 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in four games at the Olympics.

Finland: Mikko Rantanen has six points (two goals, four assists) in five games. The Dallas Stars forward scored a power-play goal against Canada to give Finland a 1-0 lead in the semifinal. Rantanen leads Dallas with 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists) in 54 games. Rantanen will be looking for his first Olympic medal. He won gold with Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championship and silver at the 2016 World Championship.

Will win if

Slovakia: It can put up another inspired effort led by forward Juraj Slafkovsky. The Montreal Canadiens forward scored a goal in the 6-2 semifinal loss to the United States with the game already out of reach, giving him eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games. Leading Slovakia to bronze with NHL players at the Olympics would be a huge accomplishment for the 21-year-old, selected by Montreal No. 1 in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Finland: It gets over the disappointment of giving up a two-goal lead in the 3-2 semifinal loss to Canada, conceding the losing goal on the penalty kill with 35.2 seconds left in the third period. Finland won gold at Beijing 2022 without NHL players in the tournament and was hoping to get back to the final. It will need to regroup to win its fourth bronze medal with NHL players since 1998. Finland also won silver in 2006.

EDGE Stats to watch

Slovakia: Slafkovsky ranks in the 91st percentile among NHL forwards in high-danger goals (12) this season. Slafkovsky also ranks highly in midrange goals (six; 88th percentile) and midrange shots on goal (43; 87th percentile) this season.

Finland: Goalie Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) ranks third in the NHL in high-danger saves (281) and seventh in midrange save percentage (.923) this season.

The skinny

Slovakia should be extremely motivated to be back in the bronze medal game and Finland will have to match its energy to keep from coming away from the Olympics empty-handed. Finland had an opportunity to pull off the upset against Canada in the semifinal but was unable to hold on to a 2-0 lead. Getting over the disappointment of the loss in a short turnaround will be key for Finland. It will be up to its star players, forwards Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen, Joel Armia and Sebastian Aho to set the tone for the rest of the group.

Gold medal game

(1) Team Canada vs. (2) Team United States (8:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, NBC, ICI Télé, CBC Gem, CBC, SN [JIP], TSN [JIP], RDS2).

How they got here

Canada (4-1-0-0, first in Group A): Defeated Team Czechia 5-0, defeated Team Switzerland 5-1, defeated Team France 10-2, defeated Team Czechia 4-3 (OT), defeated Team Finland 3-2.

United States (4-1-0-0, first in Group C): Defeated Team Latvia 5-1, defeated Team Denmark 6-3, defeated Team Germany 5-1, defeated Team Sweden 2-1 (OT), defeated Team Slovakia 6-2.

Player to watch

Canada: Connor McDavid broke the record for most points in an Olympic tournament featuring NHL players with two assists in a 3-2 win against Finland in the first semifinal Friday. The Edmonton Oilers forward has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in five games. He surpassed Finland forwards Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, who each had 11 points in eight games while winning the silver medal in Torino 2006. McDavid served as Canada captain in the semifinal in the absence of forward Sidney Crosby, who did not play because of a lower-body injury sustained in a 4-3 quarterfinal overtime win against Team Czechia on Wednesday. The Edmonton Oilers captain leads the NHL scoring race with 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 58 games.

United States: Matthew Tkachuk has six assists in five games and is the emotional leader for Team United States, looking to avenge the loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago. Tkachuk and brother Brady Tkachuk, the captain of the Ottawa Senators, have been in the thick of things physically all tournament and the two are expected to bring that high energy again in the gold medal game. The United States is looking for its first Olympic gold medal since Lake Placid 1980.

Will win if

Canada: McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini have another strong game and goalie Jordan Binnington continues to make timely saves. The Canada goalie shut the door after giving up the first two goals against Finland, allowing Canada to come back for the second consecutive game. He did the same in the come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win against Czechia in the quarterfinal. Celebrini, a forward with the San Jose Sharks, had an assist in the win against Finland, along with eight shots on goal and 25:53 of ice time, both game highs. The 19-year-old has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in five games and has been leaned on heavily by coach Jon Cooper among a star-studded roster.

United States: It can contain McDavid, MacKinnon and Celebrini, and continue to get offensive contributions from its deep forward group. The United States also has an extremely mobile and talented defense, led by Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski, and the best goalie in the NHL in Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Vezina and Hart Trophy last season. Motivation will not be an issue in this rivalry, but it will be important to keep emotions in check and maintain the focus on the little details that make a huge difference in a one-game, winner-take-all.

EDGE Stats to watch

Canada: McDavid leads the NHL in high-danger shots on goal (94), max skating speed (24.61 mph), 22-plus mph speed bursts (106) and 20-plus mph speed bursts (494) this season.

United States: Brady Tkachuk leads the entire NHL in offensive zone time percentage (49.5) this season 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

This is the highly anticipated rematch of the 4 Nations Face-Off final won 3-2 in overtime by Canada just over a year ago. The United States has rolled through the tournament, pushed only by Sweden in the quarterfinal, while Canada had to battle from behind against both Czechia in the quarterfinal and Finland in the semifinal. It may be too much to ask Canada to put together a third consecutive comeback, so the first goal of the game will be key. If the United States scores first, it can continue to dictate play like it has all tournament.