2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Everything you need to know from final day of round robin

And that’s that.

The round-robin portion of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy has concluded, with eight teams set to play in the qualification round on Tuesday. Canada, USA, Slovakia and Finland have advanced to the quarterfinal on Wednesday, with the first three teams winning their groups, while Finland finished as the highest-ranked second-place team.

Here is how the playoff matchups look:

Qualification Round Schedule (Tuesday)

Germany vs. France: 6:10 AM ET
Italy vs. Switzerland: 6:10 AM ET
Czechia vs. Denmark: 10:40 AM ET
Sweden vs. Latvia: 3:10 PM ET

Quarterfinal Round Schedule (Wednesday)

Slovakia vs. Germany/France: 6:10 AM ET
Canada vs. Czechia/Denmark: 10:10 AM ET
Finland vs. Switzerland/Italy: 12:10 PM ET
USA vs. Sweden/Latvia: 3:10 PM ET

Here is how everything shook out on Sunday in Italy:

Switzerland 4, Czechia 3 (OT)

After trailing for much of the fight, Switzerland beat Czechia 4-3 in an overtime thriller to finish group play.

The Swiss will move on to the qualification round with two wins after shutting out France earlier on. Czechia will look to rebound on Tuesday after going 1-1-1, with its lone win also coming against France.

Filip Chlapik would get the game going with a goal at 15:19. Czechia’s lead would last until 36:53, when Roman Josi scored after his shot bounced off Radko Gudas and past Lukas Dostal. Less than two minutes later, Timo Meier took a Josi rebound and converted, giving Switzerland its first advantage of the afternoon.

Czechia got desperate, and it eventually paid off with Radim Simek’s goal at 46:33. But Switzerland wasn’t done, and at 48:07, Pius Suter tallied his second of the Olympics to make it 3-2. Czechia thought they tied the game with about three minutes to go, only to get called back due to goalie interference. Czechia kept the pressure on after that, and it paid off as Martin Necas scored to make it 3-3, forcing overtime for the first time all tournament.

It didn’t take long for Dean Kukan to end the game in extra time. The former Columbus Blue Jackets player skated down the ice and beat Dostal with a clean shot at 61:49, giving the win to Switzerland.

Czechia

#1 Lukas Dostal, G (Anaheim Ducks): Sure, it fell apart in the second half. But Dostal couldn’t do much about the unlucky bounces in this one. Gudas deflected the first goal in, the second was a funky rebound and the third was a scramble in front. Before that, though, Dostal was a difference-maker, helping the Czechs play a more confident game while in front. Dostal should be the starter for Czechia in the playoff round – they like him the most, especially after the 2024 World Championship.

#17 Filip Hronek, D (Vancouver Canucks): Hronek played the most minutes of any Czech player, especially late, as they looked to shut the Swiss down. Hronek is a skilled defender who does a good job of getting the puck down the ice, but he doesn’t give you much room to shoot in the O-zone, either. Hronek has been Czechia’s best defender through three games, as expected.

#14 Filip Chlapik, LW: The former NHL forward scored the ice-breaker late in the first period and then assisted on the tying goal in the third period. Chlapik didn’t play against Canada, but he scored a goal on his lone shot against France and it pushed him into Czechia’s top six for this game. When you’re a depth guy, you have to seize the opportunity, and this was arguably his best national team game to date.

#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): When the going gets tough, you need your biggest star to show up. That’s exactly what he did in this game, leading the team in shots and then set up the tying goal. His pace, his shot, and his experience made it so that the Swiss were always on the back burner, trying to figure out how to deal with him. He’s good, in case you weren’t aware.

#98 Martin Nečas, RW (Colorado Avalanche): Nečas was Czechia’s best player against France and was again today. He had a pair of assists before scoring the game-tying goal with under three minutes to go. Nečas is a slick passer who doesn’t miss many opportunities to exploit open ice, and he seemed a bit too strong for some of the Swiss defenders to contain around the net.

Switzerland

#63 Leonardo Genoni, G: After a shutout effort against France, Genoni was excellent again today. The Swiss goaltending legend might be one of the older goaltenders in Italy, but he still moves quickly and wastes little movement. The Czechs focused on crashing the net and taking Genoni’s eyesight away but he wasn’t fazed and ultimately shut them down over and over again. He should be the starter the rest of the way.

#86 JJ Moser, D (Tampa Bay Lightning): Moser was excellent in the first 40 minutes and was eventually rewarded with a pair of assists. He fed Josi on the rush for the first Swiss goal and then added another on the go-ahead goal with about 12 minutes left. Defensively, he was a pain in the rear end because the Czechs just couldn’t figure him out.

#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): I don’t want to give him too much credit for the 1-1 goal, because it was a fluky bounce that shouldn’t have gone in. But he was everywhere in this game at both ends of the ice, breaking up plays, getting sticks into lanes and controlling the power play. After his goal, he took a shot on net that resulted in a power-play rebound goal from Meier, changing the course of the game. Whenever Switzerland needs something to happen internationally, Josi tends to make it happen.

#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): With Switzerland missing so many key players, someone needed to pick up the slack and start generating more chances. Today, that was Hischier, who was Switzerland’s most impactful forward in the game. He had plenty of quality chances around the Czech net, only to get stopped by Dostal. It felt like Hischier was playing with a whole other gear compared to the other two games – he was aggressive, making smart plays with the puck and was generating opportunities every time he could.

#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Meier had a huge second half, scoring a big goal on a rebound before assisting on the 3-2 marker. Meier was so energetic in this one, buzzing around the net and taking the Czech defenders away from scoring lanes. Meier is a smart forward with quick hands, and that allowed him to capitalize on the loose puck that gave Switzerland all the momentum in the second period.

Canada 10, France 2

Canada needed goals – plenty of them – to help them ensure top spot among all 12 teams in the round robin. Unfortunately for France, Canada lived up to the hype, dominating with a 10-2 victory.

The Canadians will await the outcome of USA vs. Denmark to see if their 17-goal differential was enough to secure top spot.

Floran Douray and Sacha Treille had their Olympic moments for France, scoring a goal each to give the bench something to cheer about. But nine different goal-scorers – Tom Wilson, Devon Toews, Mark Stone, Cale Makar, Macklin Celebrini (twice), Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Bo Horvat and Brandon Hagel – made sure to make France’s life miserable.

Crosby and McDavid finished the night with three points each, while Stone, Celebrini and Wilson had two points apiece.

Canada

#7 Devon Toews, D (Colorado Avalanche): His buddy Makar might get most of the love, but Toews had quite the game himself. He scored his first career Olympic goal in the first period, but he also had some great defensive plays in his own zone at times where Makar was caught up the ice. Toews was everywhere in the first period in particular – he was playing with more pace than we’ve seen.

#8 Cale Makar, D (Colorado Avalanche): Makar makes everyone around him better. Period. Makar made some great passes with the puck all game, as you’d expect. He also scored and had a couple of decent chances from the point, too. Makar likes to contribute on the rush, and he’s not afraid to rush in and act as a fourth forward. You know, the usual Makar stuff.

#17 Macklin Celebrini, LW (San Jose Sharks): It’s funny: when you think you’ve contained McDavid on the ice, Celebrini is always there to make you look stupid. With two goals and an assist, Celebrini was great again today. He scored on a shorthanded goal and then kept finding McDavid all over the ice. Celebrini has been one of Canada’s best players all tournament long.

#43 Tom Wilson, LW (Washington Capitals): Wilson scored his first Olympic goal and then proceeded to run into everyone and force turnovers. That’s what he does the best – he’s a disruptor in a way nobody on France was able to deal with. He’s especially valuable in front of the net, allowing his linemates free rein to skate around and get shots on net, just for him to pick up rebounds. And, uh, how about the fight?

#61 Mark Stone, RW (Vegas Golden Knights): You know, so much was made about Stone’s inclusion heading into this tournament. But given he played on the top line at the 4 Nations Face-Off, it shouldn’t have been surprising. He was great against Czechia and then had a few good looks before scoring, of all things, a shorthanded breakaway goal in the first period before adding an assist late in the second. Sure, his skating isn’t great, but he has the physical strength to win battles, can clearly shoot and has great chemistry with Mitch Marner.

#87 Sidney Crosby, C (Pittsburgh Penguins): Crosby is now the all-time Canadian points leader in the NHL era of the Olympics, thanks to a three-point night, putting him at 16 overall. He’s the smartest player on just about every shift he takes, and he’s clearly not slowing down despite being one of the oldest players in the tournament.

#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): McDavid registered three points again today, becoming the first player to register three points in three straight games in the NHL era of the Olympics. His speed, his skill, everything that makes him the best player in the world: he showed that today. Nobody can catch him.

France

#33 Julian Junca, G: Happy birthday, JJ. Your present? Taking on a Canadian team, trying to lead the tournament in goal differential. Sometimes, a situation like that might be calming for a goaltender – nobody expects you to win, so just play your game. Junca played some of his best international hockey to date tonight, making some huge stops on the likes of Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Everything fell apart in the end, but Junca kept the French in it for half the game, at least.

#24 Justin Addamo, C: At 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, Addamo is an absolute unit. He’s not quick, he’s not overly skilled. But he has the pure strength to force himself into scoring lanes and his shot is quite impressive, too. The former AHL forward powered hard through the middle of the ice and got a shot on net to make it 1-1, shocking the Canadian faithful who expected a much more lopsided start to the game. Addamo had an assist on the second French goal to cap off a massive night for the massive dude.

Denmark 4, Latvia 2

From Tyler Kuehl

One of the underdogs in Milan has earned momentum and some confidence heading into the knockout stage.

Thanks to timely scoring and a solid goaltending performance, Denmark came away with a 4-2 win over Latvia, giving the Danes their first win at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The way things started, you would’ve thought Latvia had already clinched second place in the group, as they let Denmark run roughshod in the opening minutes of the game. A terrible turnover in the Latvian zone led to Mikkel Aagaard finding Nick Olesen for his second of the tournament just 23 seconds into the game.

The Danes cashed in on the power play a few minutes later, as Aagaard found the back of the net himself. Things continued to roll for Denmark as the period wore on, as a great kick pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand set up fellow NHLer Nikolaj Ehlers to put their team up 3-0.

However, Latvia started to claw its way back. After Kristaps Roberts Zile put his team on the board late in the first, a great play from Eduards Tralmaks led to the Grand Rapids Griffins forward scoring his second goal of the tournament to make it a one-goal game.

Latvia kept the pressure for the remainder of the game, but Danish goaltender Frederik Andersen came up with some big saves in the latter half of the game, with Olesen sliding in an empty-net goal to seal the deal.

Latvia ended up outshooting Denmark 35-21, posting 14 shots on goal in the final frame. Andersen made 33 saves for his first win at the Olympics. Arturs Silovs was credited with just 17 saves in his second start in as many days.

Denmark went 1-for-5 on the power play, but killed off all five of its penalties on Sunday.

With the win, Denmark secures third place in Group C. Even if Germany loses to the United States, the Danes and last-place Latvia will play in the playoff qualifiers on Tuesday.

Denmark

#95 Nick Olesen, F: Olesen might’ve been the beneficiary of a bad play by Latvia, and great awareness by Aagaard, leading to his early goal, but the vision he showed in setting up Aagaard on the power play showed he’s one of the best players in the Czech Extraliga. The HC Motor České Budějovice star places himself in the right place to both put the puck in the back of the net, as well as set up his teammates with scoring chances.

#29 Mikkel Aagaard, F: Aagaard certainly had his best game of the tournament. The Skellefteå AIK standout was a crucial part of the Danes’ hot start on Saturday. The way he didn’t rush a shot on goal, instead giving a nice feed to Olesen in the opening minute to put his team on the board. That kind of play, for the uninitiated, shows that the 30-year-old isn’t gripping the stick too tight, even on this stage.

#31 Frederik Andersen, G (Carolina Hurricanes): After he had a tough result against Germany in his first start, Andersen redeemed himself on Sunday, and definitely reinstilled some confidence in himself heading into the knockout stage, regardless of who or when the Danes play. When Latvia started to find its footing in the second period, Andersen settled into his game as well and came up clutch in the final 20 minutes to help his team score the win.

Latvia

#34 Eduards Tralmaks, F (Detroit Red Wings): I don’t think I’m the only person who’d say that Tralmaks was the best player on the ice for Latvia on Sunday. While he might not have the NHL pedigree as some of the players on his team, but he has certainly been one of the hardest-working players in the tournament, and it’s leading to significant production. Along with picking up an assist on Zile’s goal, Tralmaks looked like a 30-goal scorer in the NHL with his second of the tournament in the second period.

#77 Kristaps Zile, D: While Zile might not be one of Latvia’s top two-rearguards, he has had a big role in the top four, and played his best hockey in Italy against the Danes. The play leading up to his goal showed his patience with the puck and his awareness of when to let it go from the point. He also assisted on Tralmaks’ goal, giving him his first two points of the tournament.

#72 Janis Jaks, D: Jaks entered the Olympics as an effective two-way blueliner with HC Energie Karlovy Vary of the Czech league. He’s been able to showcase that ability so far in Milan. Even in the loss, he was able to be involved offensively, assisting on Zile’s goal late in the first period. He ended with four shots on goal on Sunday and a plus/minus of +1 while registering 17:47 of ice time.

USA 5, Germany 1

The United States will move on to the quarterfinal as the No. 2 seed after beating Germany 5-1 on Sunday evening in Italy.

The Americans will play the winner of Tuesday’s qualification round game between Sweden and Latvia once the quarterfinal rolls around on Wednesday. Germany, meanwhile, will play France on Tuesday, with the chance to face Slovakia the following day.

The game started off tied for the first 19:50 before Zach Werenski tallied his first of the tournament. Auston Matthews was able to double the advantage at 23:25, giving USA some breathing room.

Brock Faber’s goal at 37:35 made it 3-0, essentially putting the game out of reach. Tage Thompson would score his second of the tournament early in the third, and Matthews would add another to finish off the convincing victory. Tim Stutzle would add a goal late in the game, but by then, it was already too late.

Here’s a look at the top performers from the final game of the round robin:

Germany

#37 Maximilian Franzreb, G: Franzreb has never played a bigger game in his career – he has never even played a World Championship game. But Franzreb looked dialed in from the get-go, keeping the team in it early after the Germans seemed to start slow against the Americans. Not a bad first impression for a guy who was thrown to the wolves.

#53 Moritz Seider, D (Detroit Red Wings): Germany’s lack of high-end offensive weapons behind Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle was noticeable from the opening puck drop, but they could at least rely on Seider to generate opportunities. Seider had five shots through the first half of the game, partly thanks to the power play. He hasn’t been as flashy as we’ve seen him at other tournaments for Germany but he’s clearly more versatile than basically anyone else on that blueline.

United States

#14 Brock Faber, D (Minnesota Wild): Faber’s tournament has had some highs and lows, but it felt like he was relieved after the 3-0 goal. Faber is a good skater who does a great job of stealing pucks and breaking up plays. He got a bit ambitious against Denmark and it bit him a few times yesterday, but he made up for it by buttoning down his game and focusing on his strengths.

#12 Matt Boldy, RW (Minnesota Wild): Boldy was buzzing early in this one, taking five of the team’s 14 shots in the opening frame. He finished with a team-leading eight overall – crazy. Boldy loves spending time around the crease, and the puck never seems to leave the zone when he’s out on the ice. Boldy is relentless, smart and has great hands. He doesn’t have the points to challenge for the scoring lead, but he has been one of USA’s best wingers.

#19 Matthew Tkachuk, RW (Florida Panthers): With two assists and three shots, Tkachuk looked great, as expected. His line with Brady and Jack Eichel has been lights out for USA, with Tkachuk also not being afraid to get physical. He and Leon Draisaitl seemed married to each other all game, too. If there’s anything Tkachuk is good at, it’s making as much noise as humanly possible.

#34 Auston Matthews, C (Toronto Maple Leafs): If you were hoping for more from Matthews today, you got it. He set up the 1-0 goal late in the first and then scored the second and fifth goals to make it a blowout victory. Matthews looked so energized in this one – he wanted to go for the goal differential, even if it became quickly evident they weren’t going to score 10. Still, you need your biggest stars to shine in the biggest moments and Matthews was very impactful around the net.

#91 Clayton Keller, LW (Utah Mammoth): While Keller didn’t do much with the puck, I liked his pace of play. He moved well, won a lot of individual battles and gave the team a nice jolt in the bottom six. Kyle Connor simply wasn’t doing enough away from the puck, but Keller played like he wanted to stick around for the playoff round.