Overview
- Faceoff is scheduled for 8:10 a.m. ET (2:10 p.m. local) at Milano Santagiulia, airing on NBC and Peacock in the U.S. and on CBC in Canada.
- Team USA advanced by defeating Slovakia 6-2, led by two goals from Jack Hughes, while Canada rallied past Finland 3-2 on Nathan MacKinnon’s winner with 35.2 seconds left.
- Sidney Crosby missed Canada’s semifinal with a right-knee injury and his status for the final remains unresolved, with Connor McDavid captaining and posting a tournament-leading 13 points.
- The matchup renews NHL best-on-best play at the Olympics for the first time since 2014, with the U.S. seeking its first men’s gold since 1980 and Canada pursuing a record 10th title.
- Ratings analysts note the early U.S. start could dampen viewership compared with past North American finals despite NBC/Peacock distribution and Nielsen’s updated measurement.