MILAN – Team USA delivered a dominant performance against Slovakia on Friday, crushing their opponents 6-2 in the Olympic men’s ice hockey semifinals to earn their spot in the gold medal game.
The Americans controlled the game from start to finish, building a commanding five-goal lead before entering the third period. Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, and Jack Eichel each found the net, while Jack Hughes contributed two goals to the offensive explosion. Brady Tkachuk added another score sandwiched between Slovakia’s two consolation tallies.
This marks the return of NHL talent to Olympic competition after a dozen years away from the Games, and many had predicted the powerhouse North American teams would benefit from having their top players available.
Those predictions proved accurate as the Americans easily secured their finals berth following Canada’s nail-biting 3-2 semifinal victory over Finland, the tournament’s defending champions.
The stage is now set for Sunday’s championship showdown between the longtime rivals at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena. Meanwhile, Slovakia and Finland will battle for the bronze medal on Saturday at the same venue.
