Three Montreal Canadiens players are set to take part in the men’s hockey quarterfinals at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, held in Milano-Cortina.
Quarterfinal No.1, Slovakia Versus Germany, 6:10 am ET/ 3:10 am PT
Juraj Slafkovsky and Team Slovakia will face Team Germany to kick off the quarterfinal festivities, one of the perks they gained by clinching the No.3 seed during the qualifying rounds.
All things considered, it has been another dream performance for Slafkovsky at the Olympics, to the tune of three goals and three assists in just three games. He’s not only the leading scorer for his country, he’s also their de facto leader on the ice, setting the tone for the rest of the Slovaks on what can only be described as a plucky team that has done a great job capitalizing on their hockey passion.
HOCKEY MASCULIN 🏒 Quel but de l’attaquant du Canadien de Montréal Juraj Slafkovský! C’est 1 à 1 entre la Slovaquie et la Suède.@LNH_FR#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #hockey #equipecanada #jeuxolympiques pic.twitter.com/frJpxGVdmX
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 14, 2026
Keep in mind, there are roughly 5.5 million citizens in Slovakia, which is comparable to the population of Alberta or British Columbia.
Punching well above their weight is the name of the game for Slafkovsky and the Slovaks, however, they will rightfully be considered the favourites as they face Germany on Wednesday.
That being said, Germany has one of the best players in the world on their roster, Leon Draisaitl, which means Slovakia cannot afford to take their opponents lightly.
James Duthie: “Who has impressed you, outside of Canada 🇨🇦 or the US 🇺🇸?”
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 17, 2026
Elliotte Friedman: “Juraj Slafkovsky 🇸🇰, the best non-Canadian player in the tournament so far.” pic.twitter.com/B8dbVKaxjB
Quarterfinal No.2, Canada vs. Czechia, 9:10 am ET/ 6:10 am PT
Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will put their undefeated record on the line as they face Czechia in the second quarterfinal.
Without trying to dip into the usual Canadian hockey arrogance, Czechia will have their hands full, as they face one of the best teams ever assembled.
David Pastrnak had this to say about Czechia's matchup against Canada in the quarterfinals tomorrow:
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 17, 2026
“It might be the best team ever, so maybe we have to put the respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them."
Not only is Canada the top seed in the tournament, they also handily beat the Czechs 5-0 earlier in the tournament. Suzuki scored a goal in that game, via a great pass by Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
It remains to be seen where Suzuki will play in the lineup, as there’s a chance Jon Cooper may want to use him in a shutdown role, but suffice it to say the criticism sent Suzuki’s way throughout the Olympics has very little basis in reality.
Can we stop this total non sens That Nick Suzuki ist playing great hockey ? Anybody below Mark Stone should sit before Nick honestly. credit : @DimFilipovic pic.twitter.com/lnvWeUBqcU
— TURP (@JFTurpin) February 17, 2026
Quarterfinal No.3, Finland vs. Switzerland, 12:10 pm ET/ 9:10 am PT
The third quarterfinal may feature a Montreal Canadiens player, though there are no guarantees Oliver Kapanen will finally get a chance to take a shift on Olympic ice.
As one of the youngest players in the lineup, his lack of playing time hasn’t been abnormal, though it should be said that he’s one of the most productive players in the Finnish lineup, with 18 NHL goals to his credit.
On that note, former Canadiens forward Joel Armia currently leads the Finns in scoring, with two goals and two assists. Another former Hab, Sven Andrighetto, should feature prominently in the third quarterfinal match up. The 32-year-old Swiss native has produced three assists in four games while representing his country.
Quarterfinal No.4, United States vs. Sweden, 3:10 pm ET/ 12:10 pm PT
The fourth and final game of the day will not feature any members of the Montreal Canadiens organization, though it remains to be seen if the Americans will end up regretting their roster selection, as they snubbed both Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield.
Passive-aggressiveness aside, Team USA clinched the second seed in the tournament, which goes to show that they clearly brought one of the most talented teams to Italy.
As for Sweden, they continue to underwhelm in international tournaments, relatively speaking. That’s not to say they fail to win any games, but they tend to fold when it matters most. To their credit, the Swedes won a gold medal in 2006, though it was only their second gold medal in Olympic history.
They will represent the seventh seed in the quarterfinals, despite having one of the most talented rosters at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
All Montreal Canadiens and 2026 Winter Olympic Games information via the IIHF.
