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Good morning, hockey folks. Let’s not waste any time: We need to get you caught up on all things Olympic puck, including the two games already played this morning in Milan, and we need to do it quickly.
But first, a reminder to sign up for our Olympics newsletter here. And our full Olympics schedule, customized to your time zone, is here.
(Alexander Nemenov / Getty Images)
Early Intrigue
Chaos: Finland beats Sweden
Well, well, well.
After Finland lost its opener in an early surprise against Slovakia on Wednesday, all eyes have been on Group B because of potentially major ramifications for the knockout rounds.
If the Finns had lost early this morning to Sweden, they would have been winless through two games, meaning they would have fallen into the qualification round as one of the lower-seeded teams in the tournament and had a very tough road ahead.
Instead, the plucky Finns arrived in a big way in this one with a couple early goals from Nikolas Matinpalo and Anton Lundell as part of an impressive 4-1 win in one of international hockey’s best rivalries. Now it’s Slovakia that sits atop Group B with two games tomorrow to determine who ends up where:
- Sweden vs. Slovakia (6:10 a.m. ET)
- Finland vs. Italy (10:40 a.m.)
If Slovakia can get a single point out of that game against the Swedes, it’ll win the group, which could make things very interesting. Even if the Slovaks lose, a win by Finland over Italy likely creates a three-way tie that would have to be broken by goal differential. (Which then makes the score in that Sweden-Slovakia game important.)
Whichever team ends up ranked third in Group B will, at best, be the seventh or eighth seed after the preliminary rounds. That matters because it would put them on a direct collision course with one of the top two teams in the quarterfinals.
In other words? We now can’t rule out a Sweden versus Canada/U.S. do-or-die game to start the knockout rounds. In fact, the Americans have the highest chance (21 percent) of facing Sweden in the quarters!
This would all be bad news for someone, with one of the world’s top three teams going home before the semis. Even if Finland ends up in that seven or eight slot, it’s going to make for some extra chaos.
Bring it on, I say.
Team USA’s Connor Hellebuyck, left, celebrates with teammates Brady Tkachuk, Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes on Thursday. (Alexander Nemenov / Getty Images)
Here’s what else is going on in the event so far:
Group C: Team USA gets a breather today after thumping Latvia 5-1 yesterday to open its tournament. Next up for the Americans is Denmark tomorrow and Germany on Sunday (both games at 3:10 p.m. ET) to end their round robin.
Group A: Pierre LeBrun sets up Canada’s big matchup with Switzerland later today (3:10 p.m.), with a focus on the underdog Swiss hoping to play spoilers yet again — something they’ve become very good at the World Championships. Canada’s star power certainly impressed with a dominant 5-0 win in its opener over Czech Republic yesterday.
Worth noting: Keep an eye on goal differential for the U.S. and Canada, as that could determine who earns the No. 1 seed out of the prelims, potentially avoiding the Group B mess.
Our Olympic men’s tournament forecast is updated after every single game.
Men’s playoffs schedule
- Qualification round: Tuesday
- Quarterfinals: Wednesday
- Semifinals: Feb. 20
- Bronze-medal game: Feb. 21
- Gold-medal game: Feb. 22
Team USA’s Cayla Barnes, Kendall Coyne and Kirsten Simms acknowledge fans after the team’s 5-0 win over Canada on Tuesday. (Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
Narrowing Field
Knockout rounds begin
We’re into the quarterfinals already for the women’s event, including a matchup between No. 3 Czech Republic and No. 6 Sweden that started just minutes before this newsletter hit your inbox.
The top-seeded U.S. team, meanwhile, faces eighth-place Italy at 3:10 p.m. ET for the right to move on to Monday’s semifinals. We’ll have live coverage for that one — join us!
The other two elimination games are tomorrow:
- No. 2 Canada vs. No. 7 Germany (10:40 a.m.)
- No. 4 Finland vs. No. 5 Switzerland (3:10 p.m.)
We’ll have live coverage of that Canada game, too, so keep an eye on our Olympics page. The bracket reseeds for the semifinals, so no matter what, the U.S. and Canada can’t meet until Thursday’s gold-medal game. The past four gold-medal games have all been between these two teams — with Canada winning three (2010, 2014, 2022) — so it would be a shocker if we don’t get a rematch. Just look at these odds, courtesy of our very own Dom Luszczyszyn:
Despite being the defending champs, Canada has something to prove after a pile of losses to the Americans of late, including a lopsided 5-0 defeat in the prelims on Tuesday in Milan.
Fortunately for the Canadians, Marie-Philip Poulin, who’s missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, was a full participant in practice today. Getting the world’s best player back would be a huge boost.
Don’t miss: Hailey Salvian has a great read today on Canada’s Laura Stacey and her arrival as a star heading into the knockout rounds.
And another reminder: Our Olympic women’s tournament forecast is updated after every single game.
Women’s playoffs schedule
- Quarterfinals: Today and tomorrow
- Semifinals: Monday
- Medal games: Feb. 19
Sidney Crosby. (Alexander Nemenov / Getty Images)
MirTrivia Question
With two assists in Canada’s win yesterday, Sidney Crosby is now up to 11 career points in the Olympics (four goals, seven assists in 14 games).
Among North American players, only four (three Canadians and one American) have had more points than that in NHL-included Olympics.
How many of them can you name?
(Hint: The list includes two defensemen.)
Answer at the bottom.
Coast to Coast
The Athletic has a small army of staff on the ground in Italy, including hockey writers Hailey Salvian, Michael Russo, Pierre LeBrun, Arpon Basu and Mark Lazerus. You can find the hub for all of our hockey coverage here.
🏒 Russian and Belarusian players under the age of 18 could re-enter the international hockey scene as soon as 2027-28 under new IOC recommendations, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has no current plans to bring Russia back into the fold in time for its 2028 World Cup.
🤔 What were the best Canadian and American teams at Olympic tournaments that featured NHL players? A terrific walk down memory lane from Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentille and Sean McIndoe.
🗣️ “I think everyone can learn from him, even though he’s 19.” That’s high praise for second-year NHL sensation Macklin Celebrini, who’s already shown why he made the cut for Team Canada. That quote, by the way, came from superstar Nathan MacKinnon, who has notoriously high standards.
skating’s “Quad God,” has been wearing bright yellow laces in Italy. He has Alexander Ovechkin to thank for that.
🌎 Which NHL players are at the Olympics? Here’s the full list.
👀 Auston Matthews is at a fascinating point in his career. Are these Olympics where he solidifies a new version of himself — frequently phenomenal but flawed? Or is it where he launches himself back into the stratosphere?
🏒 Sean McIndoe does what he does best: take something that should be simple and make it more complicated for no good reason besides fun. In this case, it’s making the best six-man all-star team of NHL Olympians. The restrictive rules are the best part of this exercise.
🚗 Before they were NHLers and Olympians, Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk were teenage roommates who soon became inseparable. And for two years, they lived with Brady’s dad, former NHL great Keith Tkachuk, who taught Hughes how to drive.
✍️ In his latest Olympics diary, Team USA’s Charlie McAvoy describes what it’s like to meet Snoop Dogg.
💪 Being the youngest player on this year’s U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team doesn’t faze 20-year-old fourth-line forward Joy Dunne, whose upbringing with five siblings — all hockey players — prepared her for this moment.
👃 Earlier this week, the Oshawa Generals junior team sent an email to season-ticket holders asking them to “be mindful of personal cleanliness” and take a pregame shower “if you went to the gym or did something that produced body odor.” The team partially reversed course yesterday, apologizing on social media: “We are sorry and hopeful we can wash this one off.”
🎤 On the latest episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” two-time US Olympian and former NHLer David Backes joined Jesse Granger and Dom Luszczyszyn for a live recap of the Olympic openers for Canada and the United States.
Jarome Iginla. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
MirTrivia Answer
This was a tough one, to be sure. The only North American players with more than Crosby’s 11 points in NHL-included Olympics?
It’s Jarome (Iggy!) Iginla (14 points), Joe Sakic (13), Brian Rafalski (13) and Shea Weber (12).
It’s safe to say Crosby will be standing alone at the top of the list by the end of this tournament. But I don’t think he’s catching Teemu Selanne’s record of 32 points.
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