Four Bruins players still in mix for gold medal at Winter Olympics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Only four teams — USA, Canada, Finland and Slovakia — remain in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and several Boston Bruins players still have a chance to win their first ever gold medal.
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The United States defeated Sweden in men’s ice hockey at the Olympics for the first time in 60 years Wednesday afternoon to punch its ticket to the semifinal. The Americans earned a 2-1 overtime victory in the quarterfinals with Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes scoring the winning tally 3:27 into the extra period.
Team USA will play Slovakia in the semifinals on Friday. Slovakia beat Germany 6-2 in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy played very well against Sweden. He dished out a few big hits and excelled defensively.
Charlie McAvoy brought toughness to the U.S. team in the semifinals.
Jeremy Swayman is also on the American roster, but likely will be the third-string goalie vs. Slovakia.
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Sweden’s loss means Bruins center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Hampus Lindholm will leave Milan without a medal.
The U.S. has not reached the gold medal game in men’s hockey at the Olympics since 2010 when it lost in overtime to Canada in Vancouver. We could get a rematch of that epic clash this year because Canada also advanced to the semifinals Wednesday, although it needed a third-period comeback and an overtime winner to eliminate Bruins right wing David Pastrnak and Czechia.
Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki scored the tying goal with 3:27 left in regulation and then Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner scored the winning tally 1:22 into overtime to give Canada a 4-3 win. The Canadians, who have won the last two Olympics that featured NHL players (2010 and 2014), will play Finland in the semis on Friday.
There are no Bruins players on Team Canada, but ex-B’s captain Brad Marchand is on the roster. He is seeking his first goal medal.
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Finland earned a semifinal berth with a 3-2 comeback win over Switzerland in overtime Wednesday. Bruins defenseman Henri Jokiharju played 6:49 and tallied one shot in Finland’s win. Bruins backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo also has been in the backup netminder role for Finland behind starter Juuse Saros.
Four Bruins players — McAvoy, Swayman, Jokiharju and Korpisalo — still have a chance to win gold at the Olympics. But to accomplish that goal, they will likely have to defeat the heavily favored Canadians.
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