For the first time since the 2014 Winter Olympics, Team Canada men’s hockey team and its flurry of superstars are heading to the gold medal game.
No. 1 Canada rallied back from a 2–0 deficit to defeat No. 4 Finland in the men’s hockey semifinals Friday 3–2.
Canada found itself down a pair of goals when Finland’s Mikko Rantanen scored on a power play in the first period, and Erik Haula added another on a shorthanded goal in the second. But Canada, which outshot Finland 14–3 in the second period, got on the board via Sam Reinhart’s power play goal, and Shea Theodore tied it in the third period with a nasty slap shot.
And then the stars showed up.
Tied 2–2 in the closing minute of regulation, Connor McDavid—Canada’s captain Friday as Sidney Crosby missed the game due to injury—fed Nathan MacKinnon for the game-winning goal with 35 seconds to play.
NATHAN MACKINNON IN THE FINAL MINUTE. CANADA HAVE PULLED OFF THE COMEBACK. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3jMB2EWWfU
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 20, 2026
Canada pulled off another comeback.
After cruising through the preliminary round with three blowout wins, Canada has run into some trouble in the knockout round. In the quarterfinals, Crosby went down with injury in the second period and could only watch as Canada fell behind Czechia 3–2. But thanks to a late goal by Nick Suzuki and an overtime winner from Mitch Marner, Canada advanced to the semifinals. And now with another come-from-behind win, Canada is just one win away from its 10th Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey.
FOLLOW ALONG: Team USA vs. Slovakia: Live Updates, Analysis, and More From Men’s Hockey Semifinal
Up next? A gold medal game date with either Team USA or Slovakia. The U.S. takes the ice in the semifinals later Friday against No. 3 Slovakia at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Catch up on Sports Illustrated’s live blog for a minute-by-minute breakdown of Canada’s big win:
Canada vs. Finland: Live blog from men’s hockey semifinals
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s Olympics podcast, Daily Rings, below or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada 3, Finland 2 (FINAL): Nathan MacKinnon’s Late Goal Sends Canada to Gold Medal Game.
