What a day: Stars continue to shine in Milan as six reach semifinals

That is definitely why they play the games.

The semifinals of Men’s Hockey in the Olympics on Friday will be as almost everyone predicted – USA vs. Slovakia and Canada vs. Finland. How we got here, however, took one of the most incredible days in hockey history.

Of the four quarterfinal games, three went to overtime, two of which featured amazing comebacks. Both Canada and the Finns were trailing late in the game and could have easily been eliminated.

That would have made for quite a different experience for the NHL as it returned to Olympic play for the first time since 2014.

But the Finns rallied from an 0-2 deficit in the final six minutes against Switzerland thanks to some great plays by Stars players Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell. Finland tied the game on a Heiskanen goal with 1:12 remaining. They won in overtime on an Artturi Lehkonen that included an assist by Lindell. It was his second of the game.

The moment was spectacular for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it forced the Finns to dig deep and really feel the win after overcoming a multi-goal hole.

"I'm really happy for our country," Rantanen told reporters in Italy. "I know a lot of Finnish people were watching that game and for us to come back like that … it's remarkable and hopefully the Finnish people can enjoy this one tonight and then reset."

All four teams will have to do that. Team Slovakia took a dominant 6-2 win over Germany, so it didn’t have the drama. But the simple fact is Slovakia was the upset winner of Pool B that also featured Finland and Sweden and still has arguably the longest odds to win with powerhouses Canada, USA and Finland still in the mix. Of course, that’s why they play the games.

Canada might have had the most hectic Wednesday of the tournament as the odds-on favorite fell behind Czechia 3-2 with about eight minutes left in the third period. Stars defenseman Thomas Harley tried to skate forward in the offensive zone, got the puck blocked and was trapped as Czechia skated the other way on a counter-attack and scored on an Ondrej Palat tally to take the lead.

However, Nick Suzuki of Montreal redirected in a tying goal with three minutes left and opened the door for Mitch Marner of Vegas to win it in overtime, and an entire country was able to take a deep breath.

Harley assisted on the overtime winner and now has a goal and three assists for Team Canada.

“This is the Olympic Games,” Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said. “This is the best of the best. This is why all the players want to come to this, because they want to show who they are, and they want to flex. And if you think you're rolling through this tournament, you're sorely mistaken.”

That was clear to Team USA, as well. They drew arguably the toughest quarterfinal opponent in Sweden and the game was airtight throughout. Team USA took a 1-0 lead midway through the second period and nursed it until late in the third when Sweden tied it up with 1:29 left in regulation. Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes eventually won it in overtime to punch Team USA and Stars goalie Jake Oettinger (who served as the backup goalie in the game) into the semifinals.

Stars forward Radek Faksa suffered an upper body injury for Czechia last week and did not play in the team’s final two games. His status will be updated when he returns to Frisco.

The Stars began practicing on Wednesday as they go through a mini training camp to get ready to return to regular season play on Feb. 25.

In the meantime, the six remaining Stars and their national teams will have to decide who gets which medal on the ice.

"Yes, we like the fact that we won the first three games and didn't have to play for the qualification game. But that doesn't mean you're going to keep on winning,” Cooper said. “It doesn't mean because you got the Maple Leaf on your jersey that, ‘Hey, oh my gosh, you're going to be first.’ You've got to work to that. And the guys in there know it."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.