Winter Olympics: Panthers Daily Recap – Feb. 20

It’s time to play for glory and gold.

Following a thrilling day of semifinal action at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Friday, the stage is now set for what should be a medal round for the ages.

A rematch of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, the United States will play Canada for gold on Sunday, while Finland will go toe to toe with Slovakia for bronze on Saturday.

Of the 10 skaters the Florida Panthers sent to the tournament, seven still have a chance to bring home a medal, with at least four players guaranteed to secure some hardware.

To see how things unfolded in the semifinals, continue reading below.

Canada 3, Finland 2

Trailing 2-0, Canada came from behind to steal a 3-2 win against Finland and advance to the gold medal game. After Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen opened the scoring for Finland in the first period, Nashville Predators forward Erik Haula scored shorthanded in the second period to make it 2-0. Cutting the deficit in half for Canada, Panthers forward Sam Reinhart tipped in a shot from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar on the power play to make it 2-1 heading into the second intermission. At 10:34 of the second period, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theadore evened the score for Canada and made it 2-2. Earning a late power play, Canada completed its comeback when Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon beat Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros with a blistering one-timer from the left circle to make it 3-2 with 36 seconds left in regulation. Finland challenged for offside, but the goal was upheld after a review. Saros finished with 36 saves for Finland, while St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who saw much less action, stopped 15 of the 17 shots fired at Canada’s net.

Panthers Stats

Canada

Sam Reinhart: 1G, 0A, 1P, -1 +/-, 3S, 6:24 TOI

Sam Bennett: 0G, 0A, 0P, +1 +/-, 2S, 10:31 TOI

Brad Marchand: 0G, 0A, 0P, +1 +/-, 1S, 11:09 TOI

Finland

Niko Mikkola: 0G, 0A, 0P, +1 +/-, 0S, 18:38 TOI

Anton Lundell: 0G, 0A, 0P, 0 +/-, 5S, 16:07 TOI

Eetu Luostarinen: 0G, 0A, 0P, -1 +/-, 5S, 17:01 TOI

United States 6, Slovakia 2

Leaving no doubt, the United States took care of business in a 6-2 win over Slovakia to set up a showdown with Canada in the gold medal game. New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes scored twice in the win, while Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski dished out three assists. Speaking of helpers, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk notched an assist once again, giving him at least one assist in four of five games at the tournament. Helping the United States pull always in the second period, Hughes and Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel each lit the lamp within a span of 19 seconds to make it 4-0. Holding things down in net, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 of 24 shots. One of just two skaters to solve Hellebuyck for Slovakia, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky increased his team-leading goal total at the tournament to four.

Panthers Stats

United States

Matthew Tkachuk: 0G, 1A, 1P, 0 +/-, 2S, 15:41 TOI

Upcoming Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 21 (Bronze Medal)

• 2:40 p.m. ET: Finland vs. Slovakia (Peacock, USA Network)

Sunday, Feb. 22 (Gold Medal)

• 8:10 a.m. ET: United States vs. Canada (Peacock, NBC)