MacKinnon's late goal sends Canada to Olympic Hockey gold medal game
Nathan MacKinnon scored a dramatic late power-play goal to give Canada a 3-2 semifinal victory over Finland, a finish that advances the team to the Olympic gold medal game and reshapes expectations for the final day of olympic hockey at Milano Cortina 2026.
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With 2: 35 remaining in the third period, coach Jon Cooper sent Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar onto the ice to start a power play. The sequence produced a flurry of chances — one-timers and point shots — and culminated in MacKinnon's decisive strike. He finished with a one-timer from the left face-off circle, scoring with two seconds remaining on the power play and 36 seconds left in regulation, delivering a 3-2 win for Canada at Santagiulia Arena on Friday and punching the team’s ticket into the gold medal game on Sunday.
The makeup of that power-play unit underscored the depth on the ice: the group included three of the top four scorers in the NHL this season, a defenseman who has led the League in points since 2018-19, and another forward who is tied for second in goals since 2023-24. Play unfolded as a rapid series of chances — Reinhart tested Finland’s goalie early in the man-advantage, Makar and MacKinnon attempted one-timers from the point and circle, and McDavid and Celebrini created additional looks — before a wall battle created the opening that led to the finish.
Context and pressure points
Canada had already completed a comeback earlier in the game, building momentum through persistent pressure and sustained belief. The late power play was the product of that push and of a coaching decision to deploy the nation’s most dangerous offensive threats in a high-leverage moment. What makes this notable is the combination of elite individual talent operating as a cohesive unit under intense time pressure — one minute and 58 seconds of elite sequences followed by two minutes and 10 seconds of tense, anxious play for fans and players alike.
Finland threatened to kill the sequence when a redirected pass caromed into the corner after Teuvo Teravainen’s stick altered a cross-ice attempt from McDavid; had the pass been intercepted cleanly, the power play could have been extinguished. Instead, the puck stayed alive and the Canadian line kept probing until MacKinnon finished the play. Goalie Juuse Saros made several key stops earlier in the advantage, but the relentless circulation and high-end shot attempts eventually paid off.
Immediate impact
The direct effect is clear: Canada advances to the gold medal game on Sunday, and the semifinal victory came at the cost of a narrow loss for Finland. Players on the ice — and the coaching staff that put them there — will move forward with the momentum of a late, game-deciding play. For opposing teams and tournament planners, Canada’s ability to deploy multiple top-line threats in a single special-teams unit will be a strategic focal point heading into the final.
Player reflections after the game emphasized the collective nature of the goal. "It was a five-man effort, " MacKinnon said, and teammate Sam Bennett characterized the unit as having "so many threats. " Coach Cooper noted that MacKinnon was rewarded for winning a board battle just prior to the strike, highlighting the small, physical plays that set up the decisive moment.
Forward outlook
Canada’s confirmed next milestone is the gold medal game on Sunday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The semifinal win sets a clear, evidence-based narrative heading into that final: Canada will carry both the tactical blueprint of a high-end power play and the psychological advantage of a last-minute victory.
The matter remains under review by no additional authorities in the context provided. Coaches and players now shift preparation toward the confirmed final, with the objective of converting late-game excellence into a championship result. The broader implication is that late special-teams execution can determine medal outcomes in high-stakes olympic hockey, and Canada’s performance in Milan will be examined closely as teams prepare for the final showdown.
