Team USA looks borderline unstoppable right now at the Milan Cortina Olympics. After cruising through their first three games of the preliminary round, the U.S. was expected to be tested in a big way on Tuesday during their matchup against Canada.
They weren’t.
The U.S. easily disposed of Canada, jumping out to a 4–0 lead before the end of the second period. They didn’t look back from there, en route to a shutout, 5–0 victory against their biggest rival. It was the first time in Olympic history (41 games) that Canada failed to score in a game, and it was just the fourth loss Canada’s women’s ice hockey team has ever suffered at the Olympics.
The U.S. has scored five goals in each of its first four games. They’ve outscored their opponents by 19 goals, having only conceded a single goal across the first 12 periods of the tournament. Now, after thwarting Canada in historic fashion, the U.S. will turn its sights to the quarterfinals. Their opponent has not yet been determined, but they’ll be back on the ice on Friday, Feb. 13 in an elimination setting.
Let’s review some takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Abbey Murphy, no look. Hannah Bilka, NO DOUBT. 🇺🇸
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2026
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Team USA looked more prepared and disciplined than Canada
By the time Canada finally got a player advantage midway through the second period of Tuesday’s game, Team USA had already been on the power play four times. Oh, and they had a 3–0 lead while out-shooting Canada 18–7. The Canadians were sloppy, getting caught offsides multiple times and committing some unfortunate penalties. Even on the power play, they struggled to create any significant scoring opportunities, spending more time corralling the puck from out of their own zone than attacking the U.S.
It was an uncharacteristically poor display from the Canadians, and the U.S. didn’t take its foot off the gas for even a second. Team USA was flying around the rink, winning puck battles and out-hustling their opponents to every loose puck. It was a stunning showing, and should provide fans of Team USA with all the belief in the world that this team has what it takes to win gold.
Caroline Harvey is on track to become first American woman to win Olympic ice hockey MVP
Harvey has been on a sensational run throughout the Olympics, and she added three more points to her tally on Tuesday, providing a goal and two assists for Team USA in their rout of Canada. She’s now up to seven points in the tournament, tied with Germany’s Laura Kluge for the Olympic lead, which is especially impressive considering she’s a defender.
If Harvey continues to play at the level she’s displayed throughout Team USA’s first four games, she could very well wind up being named MVP of the Games by the IIHF. Harvey would become the first American woman to be named the Olympic ice hockey MVP.
Team USA cannot afford to get complacent
It hasn’t been too challenging of a path to the quarterfinals for the U.S. Thus far into the tournament, they’ve scored 20 goals and surrendered just one. It’s been a truly dominant display from the Americans, but the job is not yet done. And they can’t begin to think, even for a moment, that they’ve done enough to secure the gold.
This is just the beginning. The U.S. still needs to win three more games in order to claim the top spot on the podium, and they’ll have a target on their backs after their near-flawless display throughout the preliminary rounds. Shutting down Canada in such historic fashion is an incredible feat, but they’ll likely see their foes from up north one more time in this tournament, and Team Canada will have a chip on their shoulder after the humbling defeat on Tuesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Takeaways From Team USA's Historic Shutout Against Team Canada.
