The USA men’s hockey team’s next game will determine who heads to the gold medal game and who will battle for bronze.
MILAN, Italy — The puck drops Friday for the Olympic men’s hockey semifinals game between the United States and Slovakia.
The game will determine who heads to the gold and silver game versus battling for bronze.
Team USA is undefeated in Milan and is coming off an overtime win against Sweden in the quarterfinals. They’re favored to win against Slovakia, but Slovakia won bronze in Beijing during the 2022 Olympic Games, giving them their first men’s ice hockey Olympic medal. Team Slovakia also defeated Team USA when they last met during the 2024 World Championship.
Captain Auston Matthews, of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL, hopes to lead his team to the finals.
“It’s do or die. It’s win or go home,” he said after defeating Sweden in Wednesday’s game.
Tournament favorite Canada faces Finland and a lingering question is the status of captain Sidney Crosby when the puck drops at 4:40 p.m. local time (1540 GMT, 10:40 a.m. ET). The 38-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins star left Canada’s quarterfinal game against Czechia with an apparent leg injury.
Crosby did not participate in an optional practice on Thursday, when coach Jon Cooper said, “We’ll know more in 24 hours.” Look for Connor McDavid to take on an even greater leadership role.
Canada beat the Czechs 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. Finland reached the last four by rallying to beat Switzerland 3-2, also in overtime.
The U.S. also needed overtime to advance. The Americans topped Sweden 2-1 on Quinn Hughes’ winner. Hughes and his brother Jack have consistently been some of the best players for the U.S. team.
Juraj Slafkovsky, an emerging star with the Montreal Canadiens, is the leading scorer for a Slovakian team playing the underdog role. Slovakia beat Germany 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
How to watch USA vs. Slovakia in men’s hockey
The puck drops at 3:10 p.m. ET Friday for the men’s semifinal hockey game between the United States and Slovakia.
The game will be shown live on USA Network and Peacock, and streaming on NBC Olympics platforms.
The game will re-air on USA Network at midnight ET.
Meanwhile, Canada takes on Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET Friday. That game will also air live on USA Network and Peacock, and streaming on NBC Olympics platforms.
The path to a probable men’s Olympic hockey final between Canada and the United States continues. The gold medal game is on Sunday.
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