All the talk heading into this quarterfinal was that Team Canada hadn’t really faced any semblance of adversity up until this moment. And on cue, the Canadians were handed a generous serving of adversity in their showdown against Czechia.
Between Sidney Crosby’s injury and the over-reliance on Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, Team Canada was staring at the brink of elimination before a little overtime magic from the one and only Mitch Marner.
MacKinnon struck a somber tone in the aftermath of a topsy-turvy yet thrilling win over Czechia.
Nathan MacKinnon Breathes Sigh of Relief After Team Canada’s Nervy Win
Czechia are no pushovers, something Team Canada knew heading into this contest. But when they found themselves trailing early on, all bets were off. Canada, it should be pointed out, had not trailed in an Olympic game featuring NHL players since the preliminary round of the Vancouver Olympics back in 2010.
Crosby’s injury only served to heighten the sense of panic, especially with the Czechs leading 2-1 at the time. But this is a team chock-full of stars who step up when the going gets tough.
After the Canadians finally had some time to breathe, MacKinnon was asked for his thoughts on what turned out to be a good, old-fashioned thriller.
“It’s good to have a little adversity,” MacKinnon said. “It was a humbling, hard-fought game.”
Nathan MacKinnon: “It’s good to have a little adversity. It was a humbling, hard-fought game.”
— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) February 18, 2026
When Crosby’s injury tore up head coach Jon Cooper’s plans, he decided to go back to his ever-reliable, all-action Celebrini-McDavid-MacKinnon line.
As it turns out, Celebrini, who replaced Crosby, laid on the assist for MacKinnon’s power-play goal that evened the proceedings at 2-2.
From there, the Czechs gave the Canadians yet another scare, as Ondrej Palat scored the go-ahead goal only for Nick Suzuki to go on and get the equalizer.
It took Mitch Marner all of 1:22 in overtime to work his magic and stamp his name on the game to power Canada through to the semifinals of the Winter Olympics. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t shine a light on Jordan Binnington’s performance tonight.
There was a lot of talk about Binnington heading into this tournament, especially considering Logan Thompson’s form in the NHL. But Jon Cooper held strong, placing his faith in the St. Louis Blues goalie who propelled them to 4 Nations Glory.
And while Binnington looked a little shaky in odd moments, he pulled off some sensational saves during crunch time. Binnington thwarting Martin Necas’s breakaway with 1:10 remaining in regulation will probably go down as a highlight reel if and when the footage makes its way to social media.
In the semi-final, Canada will face Sweden if they beat the United States later this evening. If the U.S. wins over Sweden, Canada will take on Finland.
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