Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Buzz

Welcome to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Buzz.

The Opening Ceremony will be on Feb. 7 with the first men’s hockey games on Feb. 11.

This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics since 2014 in Sochi.

With the first games less than a month away, NHL.com is taking a daily look at any news, notes and numbers that impact the Olympics:

Here is the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 Buzz for Wednesday:

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid is playing his best hockey ahead of his Olympic debut for Canada. The Oilers captain had two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, his 29th birthday, extending his point streak to 20 games and taking over the NHL scoring lead. McDavid has 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) during his run, the longest of his NHL career, and 82 points (30 goals, 52 assists) in 47 games.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Brayden Point is week to week for the Lightning because of an undisclosed injury, according to Jon Cooper, coach of Tampa Bay and Team Canada. It is unclear whether Point will be able to play for Canada. The forward left a 5-1 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday after an opponent fell on his right leg and he needed to be helped off the ice.

Carolina Hurricanes

Jaccob Slavin did not play in a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday because of injury rehab protocol. The 31-year-old defenseman had played Saturday and Monday after missing 10 games because of an upper-body injury. Slavin, expected to play a key defensive role for the United States, has been limited to seven games this season because of injuries.

Dallas Stars

Miro Heiskanen did not play in a 3-1 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday because of a family matter. The 26-year-old defenseman has 36 points (seven goals, 29 assists) in 46 games and is averaging 26:04 of ice time this season, third in the NHL, and will be one of Finland’s leaders.