USA and Canada to meet in Olympic men’s ice hockey gold medal game

The United States and Canada men’s ice hockey teams will play for the Olympic gold medal on Sunday’s final day of the Milano Cortina Games after both teams won their semi-final contests on Friday evening.

Canada left things late in the first game, coming from two goals down to win 3-2 over Finland on Nathan MacKinnon’s winner with 35.2 seconds remaining. The US took a more straightforward tack in the nightcap to set up the heavyweight final, roaring past Slovakia 6-2 after Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel scored in a 19-second span during the second period to blow things open, ensuring the Americans no worse than silver and their first men’s hockey medal in 16 years.

It will mark the third time the border rivals have played in the gold medal game and the first since 2010, when Sidney Crosby etched his name into Olympic lore by scoring in overtime to seal a 3-2 win over the Americans on home soil.

Crosby, 38, is still in the Canada squad four Olympics later, but he did not dress for Friday’s game after leaving Wednesday’s quarter-final win over the Czech Republic in the second period with a lower-back injury. No details about the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s injury have been released and the severity remains unclear, but Canada coach Jon Cooper said “he’s got a better chance of playing in the gold medal game than he had of playing in tonight’s game”.

Canada found themselves staring down elimination for a second straight game after Erik Haula’s short-handed goal fired the Finns to a 2-0 lead early in the second period.

But Canada forward Sam Reinhart pulled one back before the second intermission, while defenseman Shea Theodore notched the third-period equalizer. Then after MacKinnon drew a high sticking penalty from Niko Mikkola, the NHL’s leading scorer fired home the winner in the final minute, improving Canada’s dominant power play to 7-for-16 (43.75%) in the tournament.

The US ran out to a 5-0 lead behind goals from Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Hughes (twice) and Eichel before Brady Tkachuk closed out the scoring.

USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves on 24 shots and improved to 4-0 in the tournament.

More to follow.