Canada’s aspiration for a gold medal in men’s hockey at the Milano-Cortina Olympics remains intact.
Nathan MacKinnon netted a power play goal with just 35.2 seconds remaining in the third period, helping Canada overcome a 2-0 deficit to secure a 3-2 win against Finland on Friday, thus advancing to the championship match.
Sam Reinhart and Shea Theodore contributed the other goals for Canada, which is set to compete against the United States in the gold medal match on Sunday, marking the NHL’s return to the Olympic stage. Jordan Binnington registered 15 saves during the game.
Connor McDavid recorded two assists, breaking the record for the most points by an NHL player in a single Olympics with a total of 13.
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Mikko Rantanen and Erik Haula scored for Finland, while Juuse Saros made 36 saves. Finland will face Slovakia in the late semifinal on Saturday for the bronze medal.
MacKinnon’s decisive goal came during a power play late in regulation, following a setup from McDavid that withstood a Finnish offside challenge.
Canada played without captain Sidney Crosby, who sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of Wednesday’s thrilling 4-3 overtime win. The 38-year-old’s right leg bent awkwardly as he braced for a hit from defenceman Radko Gudas near center ice.
Head coach Jon Cooper mentioned that Crosby’s availability for the gold medal match on Sunday is still uncertain.
McDavid fulfilled a childhood dream by donning the “C” as captain for Canada.
The star center and his nation of supporters hope this is a unique opportunity at the Milano-Cortina Games.
“Just keeping the seat warm for Sid,” McDavid said, stepping in as captain during Crosby’s absence. “I hope to see him back here on Sunday. I know it wasn’t easy for him to miss tonight, and it must have been a long game to watch. I know that for sure.
“It’s a great honor to represent our country here, as a team, in the sport we cherish. That’s what it’s all about.”
Trailing 2-1 at the start of the third period, Canada saw a crucial stop from Binnington against Anton Lundell. Saros then denied a one-timer from Marner before blocking a rush chance from Brad Marchand.
WATCH | MacKinnon plays hero:
Team in red kept pushing
The team in red continued to press and Theodore finally leveled the score with a powerful shot at 10:34, following a sequence where Haula knocked Marchand into Saros, igniting jubilant celebrations among the Canadian players and fans.
Saros made another critical save against Marner with under five minutes remaining in regulation and then against MacKinnon with three minutes left.
Niko Mikkola was penalized for high-sticking MacKinnon, who eventually secured the win late for Canada.
Canada clinched its semifinal spot in a dramatic fashion, with a late equalizer from Nick Suzuki, followed by Mitch Marner’s game-winning goal in overtime on an impressive solo effort against Czechia.
Finland also progressed with a similar 3-2 overtime victory over Switzerland after being down 2-0 midway through the third period.
Saros made a key save on Macklin Celebrini off a McDavid setup just three minutes into the game. The Canadians, who started aggressively with significant hits from Tom Wilson and Seth Jarvis, found themselves in penalty trouble early on.
Sam Bennett’s giveaway led to a too many men on the ice penalty, which his teammates successfully killed off. However, the tough center, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoff MVP with the Stanley Cup-winning Panthers, later knocked Mikkola into Saros, resulting in a goalie interference call.
Rantanen capitalized on the ensuing faceoff, firing a one-timer past Binnington’s glove at 16:55. Canada fell behind for the second consecutive game after previously going more than 800 minutes of Olympic hockey either tied or leading with its NHL players since the 2010 event in Vancouver.
Finland, missing star center Aleksander Barkov due to a knee injury, extended its lead to 2-0 at 3:26 of the second period when Haula broke away on a short-handed chance and scored over Binnington.
WATCH | Canada escapes with win over Finland:
Reinhart starts scoring for Canada
Later in the period, Canada received another power play opportunity and finally found the back of the net when Reinhart redirected Cale Makar’s point shot past Saros at 14:20.
McDavid assisted on the goal, marking his 12th point and breaking the record for NHL players at a single Olympics. The previous record he matched in the quarterfinals had been held for 20 years by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu in Turin, Italy.
Canadian fans in Milan enjoyed tall cans of beer while playing songs from the beloved rock band “The Tragically Hip” on a speaker in the sun outside the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which was completed just before the Games, in the hours leading up to the match.
A large group of fans inside the arena displayed a massive Canadian flag from the first row in the stands closest to their hockey heroes’ bench.
The NHL made its return to the 2026 Winter Olympics after a 12-year absence. Canada secured gold medals in 2002, 2010, and 2014 with its NHL stars. The nation was eliminated in the semifinals in 1998 and lost to Finland in the bronze medal game, while also exiting in the quarterfinals in 2006.
Crosby and defenceman Drew Doughty topped the podium in 2010 and 2014, being the only players on the roster with prior Olympic experience before their hockey power arrived in Italy.
Friday also marked the anniversary of Canada’s thrilling 2-1 win over the U.S. to claim the 4 Nations Face-Off, which served as a precursor to the NHL’s Olympic return.