Canada vs USA Live: Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Game Heads to Overtime Tied 2-2 in Milan
The Canada vs USA gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics is in sudden-death overtime after three thrilling periods of regulation ended deadlocked at 2-2. Team USA is chasing its first men's Olympic hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. Canada seeks its first Olympic gold since Sochi 2014. The game is being played under 3-on-3 overtime rules at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Canada vs USA Live: Period-by-Period Scoring Breakdown
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
The Canada vs USA live matchup kicked off at 8:10 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Matt Boldy gave Team USA a 1-0 lead in the first period. Canada responded in the second through Cale Makar, who buried a shot with just 1:44 remaining in the frame to level the Canada vs USA live score at 1-1. Both teams traded goals in a dramatic third period to push this Canada vs USA live game into sudden-death overtime.
Canada vs USA Live First Period: Boldy Strikes First for Team USA
Team USA controlled the opening minutes of the Canada vs USA live gold medal game, establishing strong puck possession in the offensive zone. Matt Boldy found the back of the net to make it 1-0 for the Americans. Canada pressed for an equalizer in the latter stages of the period, with the dangerous line of Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon generating several scoring chances. Both goaltenders — Connor Hellebuyck for the USA and Jordan Binnington for Canada — made key saves. The shot count finished 8-8 through the opening 20 minutes of this Canada vs USA live contest.
Canada was without captain Sidney Crosby, who was ruled out before puck drop with a lower-body injury suffered in the quarterfinal against Czechia. Defenseman Josh Morrissey also missed the Canada vs USA live final. Connor McDavid wore the captain's "C" in Crosby's absence.
Canada vs USA Live Second Period: Makar Equalizes as Canada Dominates
The second period of the Canada vs USA live game belonged almost entirely to Canada. The Canadians outshot Team USA 19-8 through the frame, unleashing wave after wave of offensive pressure. Connor Hellebuyck was outstanding in the American net, making multiple spectacular saves to keep the Canada vs USA live score even for much of the period, including a huge stop on Devon Toews. Brock Faber hit the crossbar for the USA in a rare American counterattack.
Canada's persistence finally paid off when Cale Makar fired home a shot with 1:44 left in the second period to tie the Canada vs USA live game 1-1. The period ended with a physical confrontation near the benches as tensions boiled over in this high-stakes Canada vs USA live rivalry match. Heading into the intermission, Dylan Larkin had a simple message for his American teammates: twenty minutes, give it everything.
Canada vs USA Live Third Period: Goals, Penalties, and Overtime Beckons
The third period delivered non-stop drama in this Canada vs USA live showdown. Both teams traded goals to push the score to 2-2, setting up what everyone hoped — and feared — would happen: overtime on the biggest stage in hockey. Macklin Celebrini, the 18-year-old Canadian phenom, had two golden chances to win it in regulation but could not convert against Hellebuyck.
Late in the period, Jack Hughes picked up a high-sticking penalty for the USA, giving Canada a power play that could have ended it. The American penalty kill, which entered the Canada vs USA live game a perfect 15-for-15 in the tournament, held firm once again. When the final horn sounded after 60 minutes, the Canada vs USA live scoreboard read 2-2, sending the gold medal game to sudden-death overtime.
- Puck drop: 8:10 a.m. ET, Sunday, February 22, 2026
- Venue: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy
- Broadcast: NBC and Peacock (USA) | CBC and SN (Canada)
- USA goaltender: Connor Hellebuyck (3x Vezina Trophy winner)
- Canada goaltender: Jordan Binnington
- Scratches: Sidney Crosby (injury), Josh Morrissey (injury) — both Canada
- Overtime format: 3-on-3 sudden death, 20-minute periods, no shootout
- USA's last men's Olympic hockey gold: 1980 (Miracle on Ice)
- Canada's last men's Olympic hockey gold: 2014 (Sochi)
Canada vs USA Live: Crosby Absent, McDavid Leads Canada's Charge
The absence of Sidney Crosby looms large over the Canada vs USA live gold medal game. The 38-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest big-game performer in hockey history, was seeking his third Olympic gold medal. He scored the iconic overtime winner in the 2010 Vancouver final — also against the USA. Crosby was injured during Canada's quarterfinal against Czechia and practiced with the team on Saturday but could not recover in time.
Connor McDavid has stepped into the leadership void with authority throughout the Canada vs USA live tournament. The Edmonton Oilers superstar entered today's final with two goals and nine assists in the Olympics, setting a new record for the most points in a single Winter Games featuring NHL players. McDavid, 29, wrote a manifesto in The Players Tribune before the Games titled "Dear Canada," detailing his singular drive to win Olympic gold. Nathan MacKinnon and the 18-year-old Celebrini have been Canada's other offensive engines.
Canada vs USA Live: Gaudreau Family Watches from the Stands in Milan
Among those watching the Canada vs USA live gold medal game from the stands in Milan are members of the late Johnny Gaudreau's family. His wife Meredith Gaudreau, three-year-old daughter Noa, and parents Jane and Guy Gaudreau traveled to Italy at the invitation of USA Hockey. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August 2024. Gaudreau's No. 13 jersey has hung in the Team USA locker room at every game of the 2026 Olympics.
Coach Mike Sullivan confirmed that Johnny Gaudreau would have been on the Olympic roster. Defenseman Zach Werenski, Gaudreau's former Columbus Blue Jackets teammate, spoke about his friend before the Canada vs USA live final, saying the team is playing to make the Gaudreau family proud. The emotional tribute adds an extra layer of meaning to a Canada vs USA live game already drenched in history — played exactly 46 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid in 1980.
