That’ll do it for the preliminary round at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Following three thrilling inter-group matches for each of the 12 competing nations over the past few days, Canada, the United States, Slovakia and Finland have safely secured byes into the quarterfinals, which will start Wednesday.
The other eight teams will battle in the qualification round on Tuesday.
Continue below to see how things went down on Sunday.
Denmark 4, Latvia 2
Denmark scored three goals in the first period and didn’t look back en route to a 4-2 win over Latvia. Leading Denmark to its first win of the tournament, Nick Olesen, a forward currently playing in Czech Extraliga, logged two goals and an assist, while Mikkel Aagaard, who’s currently playing in the SHL, had a goal and an assist. Steady between the pipes, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 33 of 35 shots for Denmark. Eduards Tralmaks, a member of the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, paced Latvia with a goal and an assist. Putting in work, Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis led Latvia with 26:33 of ice time, which was almost five minutes more than his next best teammate.
Panthers Stats
Latvia
Uvis Balinskis: 0G, 0A, 0P, -2 +/-, 3S, 26:33 TOI
Sandis Vilmanis: 0G, 0A, 0P, 0 +/-, 3S, 14:56 TOI
Canada 10, France 2
Taking care of business with a 10-2 win over France, Canada finished the preliminary round 3-0-0-0 and clinched the No. 1 seed heading into the knockout stage. After finding the back of the net three times in both the first and second period, Canada touched twine four times in the third. San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, the team’s youngest player at just 19 years old, led Canada with two goals, increasing his tournament-high total to four. Finishing the preliminary round with a tournament-leading nine points, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid recorded a goal and two assists against France. Teaming up in the third period, Florida Panthers forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett notched the assists on a goal for New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat that made it 8-2. Facing only 14 shots, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binngonton made 12 saves for Canada. Overall, 15 different players recorded a point for Canada, with seven racking up multiple points.
Panthers Stats
Canada
Sam Reinhart: 0G, 1A, 1P, +1 +/-, 3S, 14:28 TOI
Sam Bennett: 0G, 1A, 1P, +1 +/-, 0S, 9:19 TOI
Brad Marchand: Did not play
Switzerland 4, Czechia 3 (OT)
Dean Kukan, a former Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman now playing in the Swiss league, scored at 1:49 of overtime to lift Switzerland to a 4-3 win over Czechia. The game was the first to go beyond 60 minutes at this year's tournament. With the win, Switzerland locked down the second spot in Group A. Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi and New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier each posted a goal and an assist for Switzerland, while Leonardo Genoni, a 38-year-old longtime veteran of the Swiss league, made 29 saves. With 2:06 left in regulation, Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas scored the tying goal for Czechia to get the game into the extra frame. In addition to Necas, who finished with a goal and two assists, forward Filip Chlapik, a former draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, also had multiple points, tallying a goal and an assist.
United States 5, Germany 1
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews scored a pair of goals to help lead the United States to a 5-1 win over Germany and secure the top spot in Group C. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber and Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson also scored, while Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk and Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson each had two assists. Nearly pitching a shutout, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves, with his only goal against coming off a shot from Ottawa Senators forward Tim Sutzle in the third period. Despite the Germans being able to load up a top power-play unit with several NHL stars, the United States was strong on the penalty kill, going 3-for-3. Earning a point in all three games of the preliminary round, Tkachuk has tallied five helpers so far in Italy.
Panthers Stats
United States
Matthew Tkachuk: 0G, 2A, 2P, +1 +/-, 3S, 14:57 TOI
Group A Standings
- Canada (3-0-0-0, 9P)
- Switzerland (1-1-0-1, 5P)
- Czechia (1-0-1-1, 4P)
- France (0-0-0-3, 0P)
Group B Standings
- Slovakia (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Finland (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Sweden (2-0-0-1, 6P)
- Italy (0-0-0-3, 0P)
Group C Standings
- United States (3-0-0-0, 9P)
- Germany (1-0-0-2, 3P)
- Denmark (1-0-0-2, 3P)
- Latvia (1-0-0-2, 3P)
Schedule for Tuesday, Feb. 17 (stay tuned for timing)
- 5 Switzerland vs. No. 12 Italy (the winner faces Finland)
- 6 Germany vs. No. 11 France (the winner faces Slovakia)
- 7 Sweden vs. No. 10 Latvia (the winner faces the United States)
- 8 Czechia vs. No. 9 Denmark (the winner faces Canada)
