The stage is set at Santagiulia Arena. Team Canada and Team USA will battle for Olympic gold on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET in what promises to be another chapter in one of hockey’s greatest rivalries.
Both teams have looked dominant throughout the tournament. Now, it comes down to one game.
Team Canada vs. USA Prediction
Canada enters the final undefeated, winning all five games. They’ve shown depth, star power, and perhaps most importantly, resilience, rallying from deficits in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
Canada opened the tournament with a 5-0 shutout of Czechia, followed by a 5-1 win over Switzerland and a 10-2 offensive explosion against France. In the knockout stage, they edged Czechia 4-3 in overtime. Before coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Finland 3-2, with Nathan MacKinnon scoring the winner in the final minute.
Substitute captain Connor McDavid has been the driving force. He leads the tournament with 13 points, setting a new Olympic record for a Games featuring NHL players. Macklin Celebrini has added 10 points, while Nathan MacKinnon has 7.
The only concern for Canada is the status of captain Sidney Crosby, who missed the semifinal due to injury.
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Team USA, meanwhile, enters as the No. 2 seed after outscoring opponents 24-8 through five games.
The Americans defeated Latvia 5-1, Denmark 6-3, and Germany 5-1 in the preliminary round. They then edged Sweden 2-1 in overtime on a Quinn Hughes winner before rolling past Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal, reaching their first Olympic final since 2010.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been outstanding, leading the tournament with a .947 save percentage and a 1.23 goals-against average. On the blue line, Quinn Hughes tops all defensemen with seven points, while captain Auston Matthews is still looking for his big breakthrough moment after a relatively quiet offensive run.
Historically, Canada has owned the edge in best-on-best finals. The United States hasn’t defeated Canada in a true championship matchup since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. The Americans did grab a 3-1 win in last year’s 4 Nations round-robin, but Canada responded when it mattered most, earning a 2-1 overtime victory to lift the trophy.
The United States has won Olympic gold twice. First in 1960 and then in the unforgettable 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”
This showdown feels evenly matched on paper, but Canada’s scoring depth and history of delivering in big moments give them a narrow advantage.
Prediction: Canada takes it 4-3 in overtime.
MORE: ‘There’s Hatred There’ — USA’s Brady Tkachuk Pulls No Punches Ahead of Gold Medal Faceoff vs. Canada
Projected Lines (Subject to Change)
Team Canada
Forwards
Macklin Celebrini – Connor McDavid – Nathan MacKinnon
Mitch Marner – Nick Suzuki – Mark Stone
Brad Marchand – Sam Bennett – Tom Wilson
Brandon Hagel – Bo Horvat – Seth Jarvis
Defense
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Thomas Harley – Colton Parayko
Travis Sanheim – Shea Theodore
Sam Reinhart – Drew Doughty
Goalie
Jordan Binnington
Team USA
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk – Jack Eichel – Matthew Tkachuk
Jake Guentzel – Auston Matthews – Matt Boldy
Jack Hughes – Dylan Larkin – Tage Thompson
J.T. Miller – Brock Nelson – Vincent Trocheck
Defense
Quinn Hughes – Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin – Brock Faber
Jake Sanderson – Zach Werenski
Noah Hanifin – Clayton Keller
Goalie
Connor Hellebuyck
Live Stream Details
TV Channel: NBC
Live Stream: Peacock
Broadcast options: CBC, CBC Gem, Sportsnet (SN), TSN, and RDS.
