United States routs Slovakia 6-2 to reach Olympic men’s hockey final vs Canada

The United States rolled past Slovakia 6-2 in the Olympic men’s hockey semifinal at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Friday, clinching a spot in the gold-medal game against Canada on Sunday. Jack Hughes scored twice, including a highlight-reel individual effort, and the U.S. overwhelmed Slovakia with a four-goal flurry that forced Slovakia’s starter from the net past the midway point of the second period.

Dylan Larkin opened the scoring 4:19 into the game on a feed from Zach Werenski, and Tage Thompson extended the lead with a power-play one-timer with 40.9 seconds left in the first period. Hughes and Jack Eichel joined Larkin and Thompson among the scorers whose sequence, four goals on 23 shots, chased Slovakia goaltender Samuel Hlavaj from the crease. Connor Hellebuyck in net for the U.S. turned away all but two shots he faced as the Americans closed out a 6–2 victory.

The win advances the U.S. men to their first Olympic gold-medal game since 2010 and extends a perfect run at the 2026 Games; the Americans entered the semifinal 4–0 after preliminary-round wins over Latvia, Denmark and Germany and an overtime quarterfinal victory over Sweden. Slovakia, which had been 3–1 at the Olympics and had routed Germany 6–2 in its quarterfinal, was described by observers as overmatched in the semifinal.

Special teams and discipline played a role. The U.S. penalty kill remained spotless in Milan, arriving at 12-for-12 for the tournament, while Slovakia was assessed multiple infractions including a tripping call on Milos Kelemen. U.S. penalties included a delay-of-game on Werenski and a goalie-interference infraction on Charlie McAvoy; the Americans successfully killed each penalty.

Beyond the scoreboard, the game carried a somber human dimension. Members of the family of the late Johnny Gaudreau attended in Milan, and Team USA kept his jersey in the locker room. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed in 2024 when they were bicycling in New Jersey and struck by a driver, a loss that has resonated across the hockey community and underscored the emotional weight carried by players and staff at these Games.

That off-ice tragedy points to wider public health and safety questions. The presence of Gaudreau’s family and the team’s tribute highlight how road crashes ripple through communities, affecting mental health, team cohesion and youth sports engagement. Public health experts say preventing such deaths requires a mix of infrastructure changes, from protected bike lanes and safer intersections to enforcement and driver education, measures that reduce the long-term burden on emergency and trauma services while keeping communities safer.

The rematch for gold will also serve as a national moment for hockey programs that invest in youth development and community outreach. NBC and Peacock will carry U.S. coverage of the final; Canadian broadcasters include CBC, Sportsnet and TSN. Photographs from Milan captured the night’s emotion, including a Getty Images image of Hughes celebrating his second goal, a scene that will replay in the spotlight when the U.S. and Canada meet for Olympic hockey’s top prize.