Canada's powerhouse men's hockey team opened their quest for gold at the Milan Cortina Games by posting a 5-0 rout over Czechia. Facing the same opponent six days later, things did not go as smoothly and the superteam comprised of a bevy of NHL superstars was careening toward elimination with time running out.
Down 3-2 with just minutes between them and a disappointing trip home, captain Nick Suzuki found the back of the net with an equalizer with 3:33 left in regulation. Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington turned away multiple potential game-winners from Czechia to force overtime where Mitch Marner put an end to an instant classic with a backhand winner 82 seconds into the extra period.
Canada will now await an opponent in the semifinals on Friday with a spot in Sunday's final on the line.
MITCH MARNER CALLS GAME IN OT. 🇨🇦💥#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/8nCO7eg2fa
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026
When Canada's Macklin Celebrini found the back of the net just three minutes into play, it looked like it would be business as usual for the gold medal favorites. But Czechia answered back in the form of goals by Lukas Sedlak and David Pastranak to gain a 2-1 edge before the first intermission. Nathan McKinnon leveled things up with the second period's lone goal to set up a dramatic final period that featured Ondrej Palat authoring a go-ahead tally with 7:52 left to play and Suzuki's tournament-saving answer.
Canada survived and advanced, which is all that matters but it could potentially be without captain Sidney Crosby, who left after sustaining an injury in the first period. Things are still on track to set up an epic rematch of last year's 4-Nations Face-Off againt Team USA in the final should both teams advance that far.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada Staves Off Elimination With Late Rally in Instant Classic vs. Czechia.
