Tage Thompson Injury Clouds U.S. Ahead of Olympic Final

The tage thompson injury emerged late in Team USA’s 6-2 semifinal win over Slovakia on Friday, when Thompson left after recording a goal and an assist and did not play the third period for precautionary reasons.

Tage Thompson Injury: scratched for third period after productive night

Thompson, a 28-year-old Phoenix native, had a goal and an assist in just over 10 minutes of ice time before exiting the semifinal at Milano Cortina 2026. The United States carried a 5-0 lead after two periods and finished with a 6-2 victory over Slovakia, which advances the team to a gold-medal matchup with Canada on Sunday morning.

Power-play role and in-game adjustments

Thompson has been a primary fixture on the first power-play line in the tournament, providing a strong presence around the net, but he was not on the bench to start the third period. With Thompson out, the third-period power play began with Dylan Larkin in his spot, a change noted on the broadcast that flipped the unit’s handedness from a righty to a lefty.

Tournament form, NHL season and next steps

At Milano Cortina 2026, Thompson has three goals and one assist over five games. He entered the Olympics after a 2025-26 NHL season in which he recorded 30 goals and 29 assists over 57 games with the Buffalo Sabres. The broadcast said he was being held out for precautionary reasons, and team staff will provide treatment in the roughly day-and-a-half before the gold-medal game.

The United States, having completed its semifinal shortly before midnight on Friday local time, will face Canada in the final with a local faceoff scheduled for 2 p. m. on Sunday; teams and medical staff have that window to evaluate availability. For now, the immediate focus is on recovery and treatment ahead of the gold-medal matchup.