Canada's Olympic men's hockey team, trailing 2-0 in the semifinals, rallied with three unanswered goals, including Nathan MacKinnon's late winner, to defeat Finland 3-2 and advance to the gold medal game.
In a thrilling Olympic men's hockey semifinal, Canada found itself in a 2-0 deficit against Finland, a familiar scenario after never trailing in group play but falling behind in the quarterfinals. Despite the early setback, including Erik Haula's shorthanded goal, the Canadian team maintained composure, with center Nick Suzuki stating, "There wasn't really any panic." The comeback began when Sam Reinhart deflected Cale Makar’s shot, followed by Shea Theodore tying the game on a blast through traffic. Nathan MacKinnon then scored the decisive go-ahead goal with just 35.2 seconds left, assisted by a perfect cross-ice pass from Connor McDavid. McDavid, who wore the 'C' in the absence of an injured Sidney Crosby, also set a new record for the most points by an NHL player at a single Olympics with 13. Canada's resilience was evident as they outshot Finland 31-8 after falling behind 2-0. Coach Jon Cooper praised the team's calm and relentless pressure, which eventually broke through Finland's formidable goaltender Juuse Saros. Youngest player Macklin Celebrini, 19, played a significant role, putting eight shots on net. The dramatic 3-2 victory keeps alive the possibility of an all-North America gold-medal showdown.
