USA Defeats Slovakia 6-2 to Reach Olympic Hockey Final | 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

The American men’s hockey team advanced to the Olympic final, defeating Slovakia 6-2 (2-0, 3-0, 1-2) in a dominant semifinal performance on Thursday, February 21, 2026.

Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the United States just five minutes into the game, capitalizing on a scoring chance to place his team ahead 1-0. With 41 seconds remaining in the first period, Teijga Thompson extended the lead with a power-play goal, finding the back of the net to develop it 2-0.

The second period saw the Americans further extend their advantage. Jack Hughes and Jack Aikels scored within 19 seconds of each other, stunning the Slovaks and chasing starting goaltender Samuel Hlavaj from the net, replaced by Stanislav Škorvánek. Hughes then added another goal late in the period, increasing the lead to 5-0.

In the third period, Juraj Slafkovski finally broke through for Slovakia, scoring to make it 5-1. Brady Tkachuk responded for the Americans, before Pavol Regenda added a late goal for Slovakia, completing the 6-2 scoreline.

Zack Werenski registered three assists in the victory.

The United States will face Canada in the final, marking the first meeting between the two North American rivals in the Olympic gold medal game since 2010, when Canada defeated the US 3-2 in overtime with a goal from Sidney Crosby. Crosby’s participation in this year’s final remains uncertain.

In the other semifinal, Canada defeated Finland 3-2 (0-1, 1-1, 2-0) with a game-winning goal from Nathan MacKinnon in the final minute of regulation.

Four years ago, neither North American team reached the semifinals, though the tournament in Beijing did not include NHL players. In that tournament, Finland and Slovakia claimed the gold and bronze medals, respectively.

The Milan and Cortina Olympic Games will conclude on Sunday.