Canada can have all the drama. The United States will take the deep semifinal exhale. 

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On the same day on which Canada’s men’s hockey team required a late comeback against Finland to reach the Olympic gold medal game in Milan, the United States took a far less stressful route to the 2026 Games final matchup so many hockey fans had hoped for. The U.S. cruised past Slovakia on Friday night, 6-2, and will face Canada in Sunday’s Olympic final. 

Three days after the American women’s team beat Canada in a classic gold medal showdown, the North American men’s rivals will meet in the Olympic final for the first time in 16 years. On that Sunday when the teams last vied for gold in Vancouver, Sidney Crosby’s overtime score gave the host country a moment of national pride forever seared into its memory. (The Canadian women also triumphed, over the U.S., in the 2010 final). 

More recently, many of the players suiting up on Sunday in Milan battled in  another best-on-best, U.S.-Canada classic about a year ago, in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston. In that one, Connor McDavid’s sudden-death goal broke American hearts. 

In these Olympics, Canada not only had to sweat out a 3-2 victory over Finland in the semis: in the quarterfinals, the team needed overtime to knock off Czechia. “Putting our country through it,” McDavid said after Friday’s victory over Finland. “A lot of stressful mornings for everyone at home but you know what, it’s been fun.” (Some hockey loyalists across the provinces might disagree). The U.S. and Sweden played a 3-on-3 extra session in the quarters too. Quinn Hughes’ ripper allowed the Americans to advance. 

For the Americans, Friday was free from such nailbiting. Four minutes, 19 seconds into the first period, a Dylan Larkin goal gave the U.S. a very early 1-0 lead against the Slovakians, which have only seven NHL players on their roster. Some breathing room arrived later in the period. On a power play, Tage Thompson, of the Buffalo Sabres, took a point pass from Jack Eichel. Thompson smoked a shot from the wing, past the right shoulder of Slovakia keeper Samuel Hlavaj, a minor leaguer for the Minnesota Wild who, before this night, had mostly shined at this Olympic tournament. 

The pile-on arrived in the second period. At a little more than halfway through, a sweet left-handed goal from Jack Hughes pushed the U.S. advantage to 3-0. Nineteen seconds later, Eichel, the Vegas Golden Knights center, got in on the scoring: his goal, which made it 4-0, was assisted by both Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew. Hlavaj was sent to the bench, his evening done. About six minutes later, Hlavaj’s replacement, Stanislav Skorvanek, got a taste of American firepower, as Hughes scored another goal. 

Slovakia got on the board in the final stanza; Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens slipped a shot past American keeper Connor Hellebuyck to avoid a shutout. A Brady Tkachuk breakaway pushed the U.S. lead to 6-1; Slovakia responded with a Pavol Regenda goal. 

So the stage is set for Sunday. Team USA and Canada in the gold medal final, to close out these Milano Cortina Olympic Games. The promise of one last thriller.

What more can you ask for?  

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