Usa Vs Slovakia — U.S. men rout Slovakia 6-2 to reach Olympic gold-medal game vs. Canada
The U. S. men’s hockey team demolished Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a win that makes usa vs slovakia a decisive step on the road to Sunday’s Olympic gold-medal game against Canada.
Usa Vs Slovakia — Hughes’ high-slot wrister turns the tide
Jack Hughes finished the play that punctured the Slovak resistance: he took a feed from Zach Werenski between the penalty boxes, carried into the offensive zone, slid to the left circle and fired a wrister that sailed past goaltender Samuel Hlavaj and through defenseman Martin Fehérváry. The goal helped spark the United States in a game they would win 6-2, and Hughes celebrated on one knee as the American bench erupted.
How the semifinal unfolded in Milan
The sequence that produced Hughes’ goal began at the blue line on a give-and-go with Werenski, with Tomas Tatar chasing the U. S. forward before Hughes turned him inside out and released the shot. The U. S. pushed the pace throughout the game at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, producing a multi-goal margin that settled the contest well before the final buzzer and sent the Americans into the championship matchup.
What the win means and what’s next
The 6-2 victory sends Team USA to a gold-medal showdown with Canada on Sunday; that matchup marks only the third time since the NHL began participating in the Olympics in 1998 that the U. S. and Canada meet for Olympic gold. Jack Hughes said, “I think our game is peaking at the right time, ” and Matthew Tkachuk called the U. S. –Canada final the pinnacle of the sport, noting how the two nations’ rivalry drives viewership and attention.
Historically, Canada has dominated Olympic meetings between the countries: they won 5-2 in Salt Lake City in 2002 and 3-2 in Vancouver in 2010 in overtime, and Canada has claimed 15 of 19 all-time Olympic meetings, including a 4-1 record when NHL players have participated. The two countries’ last meeting before this tournament was a 3-2 overtime Canada victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, a game that drew more than 16 million viewers in the United States and Canada.
Off-ice attention also lingered: FBI Director Kash Patel, described as a friend of USA men’s hockey general manager Bill Guerin and someone who arranged for Donald Trump to call into the United States’ dressing room before last year’s 4 Nations final, was expected to be at the U. S. semifinal, and U. S. coach Mike Sullivan said after the game he did not know if Trump would attend the gold-medal game.
With the semifinal win in Milan and a 6-2 scoreline in hand, the United States moves on to face Canada for Olympic gold on Sunday; that championship game is the next confirmed event on the Olympic men’s hockey schedule.
