The final day of the Men’s Hockey Tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has arrived, and the gold medal game is the matchup many believed it would be when the tournament began: a rematch of the 4-Nations Face-Off championship game, the United States and Canada.
Canada vs United States (8:10 a.m.)
How Canada Got Here
- Feb. 12- 5-0 win vs Czechia
- Feb. 13- 5-1 win vs Switzerland
- Feb. 15- 10-2 win vs France
- Feb. 18- 4-3 overtime win vs Czechia (Quarterfinals)
- Feb. 20- 3-2 win vs Finland (Semifinals)
How the United States Got Here
- Feb. 12- 5-1 win vs Latvia
- Feb. 14- 6-3 win vs Denmark
- Feb. 15- 5-1 win vs Germany
- Feb. 18- 2-1 overtime win vs Sweden (Quarterfinals)
- Feb. 20- 6-2 win vs Slovakia (Semifinals)
After back-to-back games in which they have come from behind to win, including their 3-2 semifinal win over Finland, Canada will need a better start against the United States today. They can not let the Americans get an early lead and put themselves in a hole if they want to win. They have gotten strong goaltending from Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), but did run into two hot goaltenders in the last two games against Czechia (Lukas Dostal) and Finland (Juuse Saros).
The Canadians do have the edge over the Americans when it comes to the star power in their forward group, led by Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks), and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche). These three were heavily relied upon in the comeback win over Finland in the semifinals and will be again today. They will need to get some production from the bottom of their lineup to combat the deep American roster. They have played strong, but just need the extra production to lessen the load for the aforementioned players.
Along with getting some production from their depth, Canada will have to break through an American penalty kill that has been perfect to this point of the tournament. They do have the horses to do just that and will certainly need to take advantage of any man-advantage they get. Defensively, they will have their hands full with the Americans.
The United States seems to be hitting their stride at the right time, coming into the gold medal game after a 6-2 win over Slovakia in the semifinals. From the opening faceoff, they controlled the play against the Slovaks and come into today’s matchup with plenty of momentum. The Hughes brothers, Quinn and Jack, have led the way offensively for the Americans, while they have gotten solid play top-to-bottom in the lineup. Getting a bit more from players like Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning) and JT Miller (New York Rangers) in the offensive zone could go a long way.
A key x-factor for today’s matchup could end up being at the faceoff dot, and the Americans have two of the tournament’s best faceoff takers in Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) and Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers). Being able to control the faceoff dots will be key for both teams, and if Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) cannot play, it gives the Americans a bit of an advantage.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
In a game where there is plenty of offensive firepower on both teams, the goaltending will need to be at its finest. Binnington has been solid for Canada, and Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) has been equally as strong for the Americans and will need to be again today.
As much star power as Canada has on their roster, the Americans have gotten to the top of their game at the right time, while the Canadians have had a tough time over the last two games of getting by lesser opponents than the United States. Hellebuyck will be looking to get redemption for a bit of an underwhelming performance at the 4-Nations Faceoff against the Canadians, and the Americans have the team to finally beat them at the Olympics for the first time in a long time. The rivalry between these two countries is going to bring the best out of every single player on each team, and this game will be yet another instant classic.
Who Wins?: United States
Another Chapter in a Long Book of the Rivalry
After a matchup at the 4-Nations Face-Off that very few people will forget, on top of the historical rivalry between these two countries, this game will certainly not fail to live up to expectations. Canada is going to be coming out looking for their first gold medal at the Olympics since 2014, while the Americans look to win their first since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team did so in Lake Placid.
