Sweden’s Mika Zibanejad (93) and United States’ JT Miller (10) chase the puck in the course of the third interval of a males’s ice hockey quarterfinal recreation on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy.
Hassan Ammar/AP/AP
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Hassan Ammar/AP/AP
MILAN — For 5 terrifying minutes on Wednesday night time, the U.S. males’s hockey workforce’s desires have been one aim away from ending far before they’d hoped.
As a substitute, the Individuals will advance to the Olympic semifinals — and a assured likelihood to play for what could be the workforce’s first medal since 2010 — after profitable an additional time thriller 2-1 within the quarterfinal recreation towards Sweden.
“We got guys that have won [Stanley] Cups and gone deep in the playoffs and superstars in the league, so I feel like it’s a resilient group and a lot of experience. You just pick yourself back up, get ready to go,” mentioned defenseman Quinn Hughes, who scored the game-winning aim 3:27 into further time.
Within the first three video games in Milan, Group USA had scored 5 objectives, then six objectives, then 5 once more. However on Wednesday, towards a Swedish workforce that had fallen unexpectedly to the No. 7 seed after getting upset within the preliminary stage of the Olympic event, the Individuals wanted heroics on the defensive aspect to remain alive.
U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who final 12 months was named the NHL’s most respected participant, saved all however one in all Sweden’s 29 photographs on aim. The one, although, got here with simply 91 seconds to play in regulation, on a one-timer from Sweden ahead Mika Zibanejad from the faceoff circle to tie the sport.
Then, a tense, fast-paced 3-on-3 additional time adopted, ending with the sudden-death aim from Hughes previous the outstretched glove of Sweden’s goaltender, Jacob Markstrom.
Afterward, U.S. teammate Matthew Tkachuk mentioned he wasn’t certain at first if the puck had gone in or bounced off the put up. “But once I heard the roar and [saw] him start to celebrate, it was definitely the highest I’ve jumped since my surgery,” joked Tkachuk, who underwent an operation final summer season to restore a torn adductor muscle and sports activities hernia. “So I might have to get the foam roller out afterwards.”
The Individuals took a 1-0 lead within the second interval when ahead Dylan Larkin redirected a rocket from ahead Jack Hughes (brother of teammate Quinn Hughes) over Markstrom’s shoulder.
However Group USA didn’t convert on a number of alternatives to pad that lead, resulting in a tense third interval because the Swedes mounted likelihood after likelihood earlier than their late-game equalizer.
“That’s what happens when you put two really good teams together. You think that it’s going to be a high-flying offense, but it’s actually quite the opposite,” mentioned winger Tkachuk. “It took one guy to make a play at the end, and that was Quinn.”
The win means the U.S. males can have the possibility to play for a medal it doesn’t matter what occurs in Friday’s semifinal towards Slovakia. A win will ship the Individuals by way of to the gold medal match on Sunday, whereas a loss would set them up for Saturday’s bronze medal match.
“It’s going to be a huge, huge test for us,” mentioned Tkachuk. “Their goalie’s playing incredible. Our goalie is playing incredible. It’s going to make for a hell of a semifinal.”
Canada survives its personal additional time recreation
On the opposite aspect of the bracket, Canada survived an upset bid by Czechia, who led 3-2 with lower than 8 minutes to play within the third interval. A loss would have been surprising; Canada’s roster is stacked with many of the sport’s finest lively gamers, from three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner Connor McDavid to the 19-year-old phenom Macklin Celebrini.
“It’s never fun, you know, six minutes left, them scoring a goal — but that’s hockey. It’s Olympic hockey,” mentioned Nathan MacKinnon. “We played a pretty solid game. It wasn’t perfect, but good enough.”
Group captain Sidney Crosby, who gained Olympic gold within the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, left the sport within the second interval with a decrease leg harm after a pair of powerful collisions with Czech gamers. It was unclear if or when Crosby would return.
