US sets up gold-medal game against Canada by cruising past Slovakia
MILAN (AP) — The long-awaited but never guaranteed showdown between the United States and Canada for men’s hockey gold at the Olympics has begun.
Jack Hughes scored two goals, including one on a standout individual effort, and the Americans advanced to the final by beating Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinals Friday night.
They will meet tournament favorite and top seed Canada for the title on Sunday, a year after the North American rivals played two memorable matches against each other in the 4 Nations showdown.
The NHL-hosted event ended a nearly decade-long drought without an international tournament featuring the world’s best hockey players. Three fights in the first nine seconds of the first encounter put the 4 Nations in the spotlight, and their epic final won by Canada in overtime only served to build anticipation for the Olympics.
After Canada did its part by beating Finland earlier in the day, the United States had no problem against the Slovaks, who went on an improbable run and were simply dominated. They will face the Finns for bronze on Saturday night, seeking a second hockey medal in the country’s history after securing the first with a third place in Beijing in 2022.
The United States is playing for gold after the semifinals were much easier than the quarterfinals against Sweden, where overtime was needed to survive a scare. Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, Hughes and Eichel scored all four goals on 23 shots that chased Samuel Hlavaj from the Slovak net after the midway point of the second period.
Thompson, one of the few newcomers who did not play in the Four Nations, came off later in the second after blocking a shot. He was kept out of the picture until the end, according to the NBC broadcast.
Hughes got his second just after a power play expired, and Brady Tkachuk scored on a breakaway with just over nine minutes left to provide some more breathing room.
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck did his job as his teammates outscored Slovakia by a substantial margin. Everything he did at the Olympics validated coach Mike Sullivan’s decision to choose Hellebuyck as the U.S. starter over Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman.
The United States last reached the final in 2010 when it lost to Canada in overtime thanks to Sidney Crosby’s famous golden goal. Crosby’s status is uncertain this time around after being injured in the quarterfinals Wednesday and not playing Friday against Finland.
