Grades, questions from Canada’s Olympic hockey win vs. Czechia

Canada enters 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament Strong contender to win gold medalAnd secured the No. 1 seed to reach the knockout round.

No. 8 seed Czechia gave everything it could handle in the quarterfinals, as Canada needed a late game-tying goal nick suzuki And a decisive game-winning goal in overtime mitch marner Advance to the semi-finals with a 4–3 win.

The game involved several important pivot points, perhaps none more important for the game – and for the future – than this. Sidney Crosby In the second period, he suffered a lower body injury due to which he remained out for some time.

Here’s how Marner, Suzuki and Co. beat Czechia, including the highlights, an overall team grade and player of the game, as well as the biggest questions for the next round.

What does Sidney Crosby’s absence mean moving forward?

Canada was without its captain for a large part of its comeback win against Czechia. He obvious injury to lower body At the beginning of the second period, and did not return.

pittsburgh penguins The superstar was on the other end of a hit Radko GudasBut it appears his illness has at least escalated after he clashed with two Czech players against the boards. This caused Crosby to skate back to the bench. He went back to the dressing room, where he remained for some time.

Winning an overtime game without one of their most important players reinforces how much depth Canada has to withstand an injury like this in a tight game. But what might it all look like for Canada if Crosby is left on the shelf? Canada’s front office built a roster that features seven additional centers it could use to fill that void. It’s a group that also includes the center who scored the game-tying goal in Suzuki.

Of course, there is also a leadership void, which may be partially addressed by the fact that Canada has five players other than Crosby who have been or currently are NHL captains. But, every Canadian hockey fan will be waiting for any kind of update on Crosby’s status for the semi-finals and beyond.

Czechia found – and exposed – some pressure points

Comparisons are bound to happen. Even more so in a tournament in which two teams have already seen each other play once. This became clear on Wednesday. The version of Czechia that took a 2–1 lead in the second round was a far cry from the one that lost 5–0 to Canada in its opening game.

Yes, McLean Celebrini Scored the opening goal. It was a continuation of how Canada has found ways to attack first in all of its games. The difference is that Czechia responded with a Plan B, playing in a way that other teams struggled in the early stages.

Czechia had moments before when it could create odd-skater runs and take over in Canada’s zone. It was able to use trends like Jordan Binnington Aggressively tracking the puck down the net for Lukas Sedlak to score the game-tying goal. Czechia received more penalties in the first period than in their first match against Canada. Got that first power-play chance david pasternak Pastrnak scored with a minute remaining on a cross-ice pass to Roman Cervenka, putting Canada behind for the first time all tournament.

That’s what happened in the third period when Czechia first faced Canada’s lead Ondrej Palat Scored the go-ahead goal – before Suzuki equalized to send the game into overtime.

When his country needed him most, Nick Suzuki delivered. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/LKLlElEXpK

– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) 18 February 2026

Second period forces Canada to find solutions in an unfamiliar place

One question facing Canada in the elimination games was how it would respond if falling behind. It’s not like teams haven’t tried to provide resistance against Canada in this tournament. What made Czechia’s approach different was how it was able to withstand Canada for long periods.

Sidney Crosby had to skate back to the Canadian bench as Czechia adopted a more physical approach. But it also provided the opening the Canadiens were trying to find during those 5-on-5 sequences. Canada’s ability to control possession and create chances was matched by Czechia’s ability to snatch away space while providing goaltenders. lucas dostal The distance and time to see those efforts.

Michael Kempny being assessed for interference allowed Canada to get involved on the power play and find space for connor mcdavid to find nathan mackinnon For a power-play goal that tied the game at 2-2 with 7:44 left in the second. And while Canada also had some physical moments in that period, it was done in such a way that Czechia didn’t have to commit penalties.

if anything? Czechia’s need to be physical opened the door for Canada to get another power-play chance at the end of the second, which extended into the third. Future adversaries would be wise to toe that line without going any further.

It was another example of why the buzz around Binnington is so fascinating.

He finished with a .875 save percentage and gave up two first period goals in a game in which Canada trailed for the first time. But he played well in the third period and overtime. He recovered from allowing Palat to block that go-ahead goal martin necks On a breakaway with 1:10 remaining in the third. He then made another big save early in the 3-on-3 overtime, before Marner scored the game-winning goal to send Canada to the next round.

It may not have been pretty, but it was enough for Canada to get another big win with Binnington at the crease.

Big questions for the semi-finals

There are two. The first centers on how Canada handles the situation facing Crosby and whether he will miss time. Furthermore, there is the question of how much what Czechia did against Canada is a blueprint that Slovakia, among others, could replicate.

Czechia found counters against a team that advanced without any real resistance in the early stages. Being physical was both a help and a hindrance for Czechia, but it also put Canada in an unfamiliar situation in the elimination game. Czechia forced Canada to make two comebacks before winning in overtime.

Although Canada had moments when it controlled the tempo and spurned high-danger chances, Czechia showed that it is possible to withstand that attack and potentially come on the verge of an upset.

Overall Team Grade: B

Facing Czechia for the second time may provide more of an idea of ​​what Canada can achieve in this tournament compared to its previous games.

Canada averaged more than six goals per game in the early rounds, although this was not shocking considering how much talent the Canadians have. However, there were questions about how Canada would perform after playing a tough game.

This game provided some answers to those questions. Canada showed it can still be comfortable playing out from the back. There could still be sequences when he had possession, launched shots and used his depth to wear down the opponent.

Another thing that came out of the win over Czechia was that Canada could afford to lose their captain and fall behind late in the third before getting the needed goal that would have taken them closer to their desired destination of a 10th Olympic gold in men’s ice hockey.

Mitch Marner called the game into OT. 🇨🇦💥#winter Olympics pic.twitter.com/8nCO7eg2fa

– NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) 18 February 2026