Team Canada survived a major scare Wednesday night, edging Czechia 4–3 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The dramatic win sent Canada to the semifinals and ended Czechia’s tournament run.
After the game, Connor McDavid made it clear how he felt about the tight escape and the lessons it brought.
Canada’s Narrow Escape Against Czechia
Canada entered the knockout round riding momentum. They cruised through the preliminary stage and had already beaten Czechia 5-0 earlier in the tournament. Yet this time was different. Canada trailed 2-1, then 3-2, and suddenly an upset felt very real.
The comeback began late in regulation when Nick Suzuki buried the tying goal. Before Mitch Marner sealed it in overtime. At the center of it all was Connor McDavid. He recorded two assists, setting new Olympic marks with his ninth assist and 11th point in just four games. He picked up helpers on Macklin Celebrini’s early goal. And Nathan MacKinnon’s power-play equalizer in the second.
His 11 points tie him with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. They reached that mark when Finland won silver at the Turin 2006 Olympics.
After the narrow escape, McDavid acknowledged the challenge. “We knew there was going to be moments like this throughout the tournament. It’s what it’s all about. It’s what best-on-best provides. We knew it was coming & I like how we responded,” he said.
Still, the game wasn’t without controversy. Czechia’s third goal, which gave them a 3-2 lead midway through the third, appeared to come with six skaters on the ice. No penalty was called. And under IIHF rules, it wasn’t reviewable.
The play started when Thomas Harley’s shot was blocked by Czech forward Tomas Hertl. Martin Necas then picked up the puck, advanced it up the ice past Nick Suzuki and Drew Doughty, and set up Palat for the go-ahead goal. However, at the time of the turnover, six Czech players were in the defensive zone.
READ: Hall of Famer Highlights Biggest Question Mark in Team Canada’s Chase for Gold in Men’s Hockey
McDavid addressed that moment as well. “I’m upset we didn’t see it either but everybody’s on the bench watching the game and none of us saw it so refs didn’t see it, nobody saw it seemed like, Glad that it didn’t cost us our tournament, with that being said we definitely gotta be more aware of what’s going on out there,” McDavid said.
Had Czechia held on, that sequence likely would have dominated headlines. Instead, Canada moves forward, battle-tested and perhaps a bit humbled.
Now, McDavid and Team Canada turn their attention to Finland in the semifinal on Feb. 20, 2026, knowing the margin for error is only getting thinner.
