LIVE: Canada vs USA Men's Olympic Hockey Gold Medal — TIED 1-1 | 2nd Period | Third Period Ahead

BREAKING FROM MILAN — The men's Olympic hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States is TIED 1-1 after two periods at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Sunday February 22, 2026 ET. Cale Makar answered Matt Boldy's first-period opener for Canada to level it, and the entire hockey world is locked in. Twenty minutes of regulation — and potentially overtime — stands between these rivals and Olympic gold. Watch live on NBC and Peacock.

Canada vs USA Live Score: Period-by-Period

How the Goals Happened

USA Goal — Matt Boldy (6:00, 1st Period): Boldy flew through the neutral zone and split the dynamic defensive duo of Devon Toews and Cale Makar with a brilliant chip move. He then deked Jordan Binnington and slipped the puck right by the Canadian goalie's right pad to get the United States on the board first. Assist to Quinn Hughes and Auston Matthews.

Canada Goal — Cale Makar (2nd Period): It needed to take something special to beat the US goalie and that placement from Makar could not be more perfect. Cale Makar ties the game for Canada as Connor Hellebuyck is finally beaten. Bo Horvat celebrated alongside Makar as the Canadian bench erupted.

Canada Dominated the Second Period

Canada has been absolutely dominating this game and it felt like a matter of time before someone found the back of the net. The Canadian pressure was growing and Connor McDavid's influence also started to grow. Macklin Celebrini had another great chance but was denied by the brick wall that is Connor Hellebuyck in the US goal.

The second period ended with an after-whistle shoving match as the archrivals battled for position. The intensity is at a fever pitch.

Hellebuyck Remains the USA's Backbone

Despite being beaten once, Hellebuyck has been extraordinary. Hellebuyck made a massive save on Macklin Celebrini. One shot trickled through Hellebuyck early in the second but squirted wide. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has kept the Americans in this game during Canada's sustained second-period pressure.

ESPN clocks the game at 1:44 into the 2nd period at the time of their last update, with Canada pressing hard. The second intermission is now over — third period hockey for Olympic gold is underway.

Canada Without Crosby — McDavid and MacKinnon Carry the Load

Sidney Crosby, who scored the winning goal in overtime the last time these two teams met for a gold medal in 2010, is out with a lower-body injury suffered in the quarterfinal against Czechia. Defenseman Josh Morrissey is also out for Team Canada.

Nathan MacKinnon opened the second period on a line with Mitch Marner and Mark Stone. Then out came Tom Wilson, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand. When Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini came out, MacKinnon was also out there — double-shifted to start the period.

Canada is led in scoring this tournament by Connor McDavid (two goals, 11 assists), Macklin Celebrini (five goals, five assists) and Nathan MacKinnon (four goals, three assists). The U.S. is led by Quinn Hughes (one goal, six assists), Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes (both with three goals and three assists).

Quinn Hughes Makes USA Olympic History

Quinn Hughes collected his seventh assist of Milano Cortina 2026 and established a new mark for the most assists by an American in a single Olympic tournament with NHL players. Hughes improved his tournament totals to eight points (one goal, seven assists in six games), tying the most points by a defenseman in a single Olympic Games with NHL players.

What's at Stake in the Third Period