The 2026 Winter Olympics have featured some great performances from several teams.
Team Canada dominated France in their final preliminary-round game, in no small part due to key performances from NHL players. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid recorded his third straight three-point game. Additionally, 19-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks scored an electric penalty shot goal.
Team USA finished second overall in the preliminaries, behind Canada. Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck played well, with Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk leading their team offensively with five points.
Here are the final standings for each group at the conclusion of the preliminaries.
“A” Group
“B” Group
“C” Group
Men’s Olympic hockey won’t return until Tuesday, February 17th, 2026. A few teams played back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. This gives those teams one day of rest before entering the grind of the qualifying round and the playoff.
Here is the qualifying round schedule for February 17, 2026.
Germany vs France and Switzerland vs Italy will be the first games broadcast on Feb 17. Both games are scheduled to be broadcast on ICI Tele, with streaming available on CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV.
Denmark vs Czechia is scheduled to be broadcast on Sportsnet and ICI Tele. Streaming is available on ICI TOU.TV, Sportsnet +, and CBC Gem. Finally, Sweden vs Latvia will be viewable on ICI Tele, CBC Gem, and ICI TOU.TV.
The winner of these games will play against the top four seeds.
The quarter-finals will take place on February 18th, 2026. Slovakia, Canada, USA, and Finland were the top four seeds, guaranteeing their placement in the quarter-finals.
Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky has led Slovakia in scoring, collecting six points in the preliminaries. They will play the winner of the Germany-France game. Germany will look to Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle to lead them past France to earn some redemption for their loss to the USA in the final preliminary game.
Switzerland has suffered some major injuries at the Olympics. Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala had to be stretchered off the ice after Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson fell on his leg following an awkward hit. Fiala had surgery to repair several fractures in his lower left leg.
While Switzerland might not have a tough matchup against Italy, the winner will play Finland. Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros has been solid for Finland, posting a .946 save percentage (SV%) in three games.
In addition to Matthew Tkachuk, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and Minnesota Wild defender Quinn Hughes have helped carry the offensive load. The USA will play the winner of the Sweden-Latvia matchup.
On paper, Sweden has a great team, featuring Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres. However, it would be foolish for them to take the Latvia team for granted.
Here is the qualifying round schedule:
Once the quarter-finals conclude, the semi-final matchups will be reseeded.
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Caleb Kerney Caleb covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has covered professional hockey since 2022, including bylines at Dobber Prospects, The Hockey Writers, and The Hockey News. More about Caleb Kerney
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