USA vs Slovakia: Men's Olympic Hockey Semi-Final Preview

Joseph McLaughlin
7 hours ago
3 min read

Joseph McLaughlin

Sportz Nation - 2/20/26

Photo Credit: Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images.

After a thrilling finish to the quarterfinals, Team USA finds itself in the Milan Olympics Men's Hockey semi-finals and one game away from the Gold Medal Game after defeating Sweden 2-1 in overtime with Quinn Hughes scoring the game-winner. Now the Americans face off against a red-hot Slovakian team that has defied the odds to make it this far.

Currently, betting odds heavily favor the United States, giving the Americans a -750 edge according to Fanduel Sportsbook. The over/under is currently set at 5.5. Despite the U.S. being favored, this will not be an easy game, as Slovakia has gone 3-1 so far in the Olympics, losing only to Sweden in preliminary play.

Tale of the Tape

The Americans are heavily favored due to the depth of their roster. All 25 players on the roster are on NHL teams and are considered the best of the best. With a group of players boasting that much talent, different players get their time in the spotlight during games. Against Sweden, it was Dylan Larkin, who scored the game's opening goal, and then it was Quinn Hughes who sent America to the semi-finals.

That performance highlights America's depth offensively as players like Larkin share the same line with other NHL all-stars. Hughes also showed how impactful he is to offensive production as well as supporting American goaltender Conner Hellebuyck on the defensive side.

America, however, has only had one weakness in the Olympics, and that is, they have been slow to get started and, at times, has been a little out of sync. Facing a competitive Swedish team, the Americans were held to one goal in regulation and could not hang on to that lead after giving up a goal to Sweden's Mika Zibanejad with 90 seconds left in the third period. If Team USA wants to win this game, they will have to get off to a quick start and control the pace of the game from the opening faceoff.

Slovakia, on the other hand, is the definition of an underdog. The Slovaks boast the youngest roster of any team in the Olympics, led by 21-year-old sensation Juraj Slafkovsky of the Montreal Canadiens. The Slovaks find themselves in the semi-finals for the second time since the Olympics featured NHL players. Slovakia came in as an underdog in Group B, with heavyweights Finland and Sweden being favorites to come out of that group. The Slovaks, however, did not care, defeating Finland 4-1 in the opening game of the preliminaries. Slovakia has since only lost once to Sweden.

The Slovaks enter as heavy underdogs against the U.S., but they do not seem to care as they are happy to pull off an upset over one of hockey's juggernauts. For Slovakia to win this game, it will have to get an early start and make America climb a steep hill to get back into the game. It may seem tough, but the Slovaks have a battle-tested group who are either NHL stars or bronze medalists in the 2022 Beijing Games.

Who Wins?

I think this will be a tighter game than people suspect. I think Slovakia will make this close, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a Slafkovsky goal. The Slovaks will hold this lead into the third period, but the Americans will tie and eventually win the game 2-1 with goals from both Matthew Tkachuk and Matt Boldy. I think Team USA will make it to its first Gold Medal Game since Vancouver 2010 and will play for a chance to win its first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in 1980.

It will be exciting to watch regardless of the outcome. The winner plays the winner of Canada vs. Finland in the Finals. Face-off will be at 3:10 p.m. EST (9:10 p.m. Local) on NBC, USA, and Peacock.