Ice Hockey: USA Dominates Slovakia 6-2 to Set Up Olympic Gold Medal Game Against Canada
Team USA advanced to the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a 6-2 victory over Slovakia in the men's ice hockey semifinals. The win sets up a final against Canada on Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET and capped a performance that combined offensive firepower with enough defensive discipline to blunt Slovakia’s power-play chances.
Ice Hockey — Scoring, standout performers and final result
The U. S. offense produced a balanced attack. Jack Hughes scored twice, while Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk each contributed a goal as the Americans reached the Olympic final for the first time since 2010. Slovakia’s only goals came in the third period, when Juraj Slafkovský and Pavol Regenda scored.
- Final score: USA 6, Slovakia 2
- U. S. goal scorers: Jack Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk
- Slovakia goal scorers: Juraj Slafkovský, Pavol Regenda (both in third period)
Jack Hughes’s two goals lifted his tournament totals to three goals and eight points in five games, after the coaching group moved him up from a fourth-line role to a top-six position alongside Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson. Quinn Hughes also made a notable offensive contribution, recording a secondary assist on a power-play goal and extending a point streak that now spans every U. S. game in the tournament so far.
Injury update and roster implications for the gold medal game
Tage Thompson left the semifinal after the second period with a lower-body injury. He had recorded a goal and an assist in the game, bringing his tournament totals to three goals and one assist through five games. Coach Mike Sullivan anticipates Thompson will be available for the gold medal game. If Thompson is unable to play, the team has designated Kyle Connor as the extra forward for the final.
The roster decision will be watched closely because Thompson is a key contributor on the first power-play unit. The semifinal saw the U. S. take four penalties in the first 30 minutes, but Slovakia’s power play was unable to capitalize; Slovakia’s early opportunities lacked a presence in front of the net, and even a fourth power-play chance failed to produce a shot on goal.
What to expect in the final against Canada
The U. S. will face a Canadian side that secured its place in the final earlier, and that team’s power play is widely regarded as more dangerous than Slovakia’s. Canada’s first power-play unit includes several top offensive players who will test U. S. penalty-kill performance and goaltending under pressure. The final is scheduled for Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET.
Key questions heading into the championship: Can the U. S. maintain its balanced scoring and discipline after taking multiple early penalties? Will Tage Thompson be fit to play and, if not, how will his potential absence change power-play deployment? Quinn Hughes’s ongoing point streak and Jack Hughes’s scoring form are likely to be central to the U. S. game plan.
This U. S. squad arrives at the gold medal game with momentum from a decisive semifinal showing and a depth of contributors across lines and the blue line. Final roster confirmations and injury reports are expected to emerge in advance of Sunday’s matchup, and any change could shift special-teams matchups that will be decisive in a closely matched championship game.
Recent updates indicate these are the confirmed scoring lines and the scheduled kickoff time for the final; details may evolve as teams finalize availability and line combinations before Sunday at 8: 10 a. m. ET.
