Canada vs. USA: Live updates from gold-medal game

The Milan Cortina 2026 men's hockey tournament comes down to this: archrivals Canada and the United States battling for gold. Follow below for updates.

1st intermission

3 thoughts on Canada:

➡️ The up-and-down Jordan Binnington experience continues. Canada's starter allowed the first shot he faced - a Matt Boldy breakaway backhand - and then settled in, saving the next seven USA shots. Binnington's task Sunday isn't to steal the game, considering all-world netminder Connor Hellebuyck is in the other net. His task is to avoid being the reason Canada loses.

➡️ Canada is worse than the U.S. in the faceoff circle, especially with Sidney Crosby unavailable, and it showed in the first period. The Canadians lost 11 of 29 draws. Nick Suzuki, who's assumed Crosby's role as the second-line center, won only one of four. The gold-medal game is all about winning puck battles.

➡️ Team Canada's roster has far more veterans and far more Stanley Cup rings. But it looked like the nervous team in the early going of the first. The initial five minutes were characterized by sloppy puck management and overthinking sequences in the offensive zone. Led by a thunderous hit from Tom Wilson on Dylan Larkin, Canada snapped out of its funk and played an overall solid first despite trailing.

3 thoughts on the USA:

➡️ "Far too underrated" was a way to describe Boldy before the gold-medal game. Not anymore. The 24-year-old showed off his creativity, hands, and burst on his superb opening goal. He's a legit star and showed it on the biggest stage.

➡️ As expected, it's been a healthy dose of the Jaccob Slavin and Brock Faber pairing when Canada's top line has been on the ice. That duo was incredible defensively at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is drawing the tall task of being the primary defenders against a line featuring three MVP candidates.

➡️ The U.S. had five shots from the inner slot and allowed only one against, according to Hockey Stats. A strong opening 20 minutes defending the net front by the Americans. The blue line is an edge for Team USA, especially with Josh Morrissey unavailable for Canada.

🟨 PENALTY: Canada's Shea Theodore, hooking

USA gets the game's first power play with three minutes left in the first as Theodore is called for hooking after getting his stick carelessly caught in the midsection of Brock Nelson. Canada successfully kills the penalty.

🚨 GOAL: USA 1, Canada 0

Matt Boldy opens the scoring six minutes into the first period. The Wild winger manages to flip the puck into the offensive zone and split Canada's top defensive pairing of Cale Makar and Devon Toews before sliding it past Jordan Binnington's right pad. Assists credited to USA captain Auston Matthews and Quinn Hughes.

Canada now concedes first for the third consecutive game.

For viewers in United States only:

For viewers in Canada only:

1st period underway

Pregame notes

Crosby out

Sidney Crosby won't play in the gold-medal game against the United States due to the injury he sustained in the quarterfinal against Czechia. Canada's captain also missed the dramatic semifinal victory over Finland due to the ailment, which is believed to be a lower-body injury.

🏒 See all the live betting odds for the gold-medal game on theScore Bet here

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was labeled by head coach Jon Cooper as a "game-time decision" going into Sunday's final, but ultimately couldn't recover in time. Cooper said he wouldn't dress Crosby as the 13th forward for the game if he wasn't able to contribute in a meaningful way on the ice.

His teammates said he played a key role in the dressing room during the comeback win against Finland, and it's expected the 38-year-old icon will assume similar responsibilities for the gold-medal contest.

Historic rivals

Canada and the United States have a storied history since NHLers first participated in the Olympics in 1998. The North American rivals have clashed six times at the Games, with Canada holding a 5-1 record. Team USA's lone victory came in the round-robin stage of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Canada defeated the United States in the gold-medal game in 2002 and 2010. Their most recent meeting at the Olympics was in the 2014 semifinal, when Canada won 1-0 before capturing gold in Sochi.

The two countries met in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, where virtually the same rosters battled in an instant classic that saw Canada win 3-2 in overtime on Connor McDavid's winner.

The U.S. hasn't won Olympic gold in men's hockey since 1980.

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