Milan, ITALY — Canada entered the men’s hockey semifinal against Finland at Milano Santagiulia Ice Arena without captain Sidney Crosby, sidelined by a lower-body injury from the quarterfinals, and it showed early. Through the first period, the star-studded lineup looked off-pace, trailing 2-0 after Finland capitalized on special teams with a power-play goal from Mikko Rantanen and a shorthanded tally from Erik Haula.
But Canada, loaded with firepower, was never going to go quietly. As Cale Makar said
after the win, “The amount of resilience in this team is just unmatched. When you have a lot of leaders, everybody is just communicating, being positive to one another, and it’s a great feeling.”
Their second-period power-play goal from Sam Reinhart (tipped off Cale Makar’s shot) tightened the collar and sparked the rally. In the third, Shea Theodore tied it, and Nathan MacKinnon delivered the game-winner with 35 seconds left on the power play—erasing the deficit and propelling Canada to a 3-2 victory. They overcame the early hole and the absence of their leader, advancing to the gold-medal game against the resilient Finns led by Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen, and Juuse Saros.
The Game
The first frame featured the heavy hitting and tight checking we’ve grown accustomed to in this best-on-best tournament. It had that two-teams-feeling-each-other-out feel early until Sam Bennett crashed the net after his shot was gloved by Saros, driving a Finnish defender into the goalie and drawing a goaltender interference penalty.
Finland had been controlling play leading up to the call, outshooting Canada 7-6 and winning 80% of faceoffs at that point. That faceoff advantage proved key: on the power play’s first draw, Mikko Rantanen lofted a knucklepuck over Binnington’s shoulder at 16:55 for a 1-0 Finland lead heading into the first intermission.
The second period saw Canada earn their first power play three minutes in. Nathan MacKinnon couldn’t settle the puck, leading to a break for Erik Haula. With MacKinnon and Makar still on the ice, Haula accelerated—his fake shot to backhand drew Binnington out, allowing him to elevate the puck into the net for a shorthanded goal.
That made it 2-0 Finland on what should have been an equalizing chance.
Canada then drew another power play when Brad Marchand was high-sticked by Anton Lundell.
This time, they converted: Cale Makar’s point shot was deflected by Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart through traffic to beat Juuse Saros. Saros took four pucks to the mask in the period, and traffic and deflections were the way past him.
2-1 Finland at the second intermission, with a flurry of hits as the horn sounded.
This game was far from over.
The third period began with both teams exchanging chances. This was more in line with expectations for Canada—strong zone entries and attacks whenever they gained possession. Finland had effectively contained that pressure through two periods, but Canada is known for maintaining their game until the opponent wears down. That’s what happened in the third.
Canada sustained pressure and forced opportunities. At 10:34, Shea Theodore fired a shot from the point through traffic to tie it 2-2. Finland thought about challenging for goaltender interference with Brad Marchand making contact with Saros before the goal. It appeared too risky for Finland, which did not challenge.
Artturi Lehkonen had this to say regarding the potential for goaltender interference: “I have no idea. I didn’t really see it so hard for me to say.”
Then, with under three minutes left, Canada earned a power play.
It was Macklin Celebrini with Connor McDavid setting up Nathan MacKinnon, who scored short side with 35 seconds remaining for a 3-2 lead. Finland’s offside challenge failed, but had MacKinnon nervous, who said, “Scary, yeah, you know our guys said it was good, but they looked at it for a long time. You never really know,” as he left the ice. “Happy they counted it,” he finished.
Canada 3, Finland 2—a comeback from 2-0 down, advancing them to the gold-medal game despite missing captain Sidney Crosby. A hard-fought semifinal. We asked MacKinnon if he preferred facing Slovakia or the USA, and he replied with a smile, “Agh, either one.”
I think it’s safe to say most want USA vs. Canada.
By the Numbers
Nathan MacKinnon has 74 game-winning goals in his NHL career (regular season + playoffs), so he’s no stranger to sealing wins for his side. That said, he’s never scored a bigger one than this Olympic semifinal dagger—well, maybe one or two in the Stanley Cup Final, but let’s give recency bias the benefit of the doubt.
Juuse Saros entered the semifinal with a .938 save percentage through four games and proved it wasn’t a fluke. Facing Canada’s relentless attack, he stopped 36 of 39 shots (.923 in the game), giving Finland every chance to advance despite the late collapse.
Team Canada has been dominant in recent Olympic playoff rounds, winning 14-straight with NHL players involved—pushing their streak forward as they head to the gold-medal game against either Slovakia or the United States.
Avalanche Spin
Well, whenever Nathan MacKinnon is scoring game-winners, the Avalanche spin is obvious—but in the best way possible. MacKinnon’s been excellent throughout this tournament, tallying his fourth goal with that late dagger, and he’s carried himself as one of the true leaders on a team that, as he put it, “We have 25 leaders.” His burying the power-play winner with 35 seconds left—assisted by Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini—while Sidney Crosby looks on? That’s one of those moments that makes you ask, “Who said sports aren’t romantic?”
This doesn’t mark the end of the road for Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Kiviranta, who now shift to the bronze-medal game on Saturday. Kiviranta saw more ice time than most expected in this one and held his own defensively. Neither registered a point here, and I’ll admit I’m a bit shocked we didn’t get another clutch moment from Lehkonen after his OT heroics against Switzerland.
Cale Makar assisted Canada’s opening goal (Reinhart’s deflection off his point shot) and has been in on several big plays for Canada. It’s encouraging to see both he and MacKinnon elevate their games on this stage. Makar said this when asked how often he sees MacKinnon doing amazing things like his winner, “A lot, yeah, it’s amazing. I think for us there it’s great. He pushes me to be a better player I feel like I try to do the same for him. It’s amazing to play with a guy like that all the time.”
Hopefully, they bring that same fire, confidence, and leadership back to the Avalanche for the rest of the NHL season—no matter how the gold-medal game shakes out.
