Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and Team Canada faced Oliver Kapanen and Team Finland in the first semifinal of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
While Kapanen was in uniform, he was used as the 13th forward, which means he did not actually take a shift throughout the game. As for the Montreal Canadiens captain, he took over third-line centre duties from Sidney Crosby, who is still nursing a knock that took place when he was hit without the puck by Radko Gudas in the quarterfinals.
It was a hard-fought game, but in the end, Canada emerged with a 3-2 win thanks to a third-period comeback.
(Editor’s Note: Due to Olympic rights issues, highlights may not be available in your country. If you’d like to view some of the highlights in the United States, make sure to visit NBC’s Olympic account.)
Sisu
If it seems that the Finns tend to punch above their weight in international tournaments, that’s because they’ve made overcoming difficult odds a national pastime.
Not only did Mikko Rantanen open the scoring for Finland on Friday morning, Erik Haul scored a clutch shorthanded goal, handing Finland a well-deserved 2-0 lead early in the second period.
It’s important to remember there are fewer than 6 million people in Finland, which means their population is roughly equivalent to Montreal and Gatineau’s metropolitan population combined.
HOCKEY🏒Erik Haula 🇫🇮 déjoue Jordan Binnington 🇨🇦 en désavantage numérique. C'est 2-0 pour la Finlande. 🇫🇮@HockeyCanada#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #hockey #jeuxolympiques #equipecanada pic.twitter.com/6leF59KAZZ
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 20, 2026
Glimmer Of Hope
Down by two goals midway through the second period, Team Canada’s first goal of the game was set up by none other than Connor McDavid and Cale Makar, however, it was a player who has remained relatively silent throughout the tournament that found the back of the net.
Sam Reinhart tipped Makar’s point shot while on the powerplay, ensuring the Canadiens wouldn’t been too far behind the eight balls as they returned from the second intermission.
(To view this highlight in the United States, please click on this link.)
HOCKEY🏒Sam Reinhart 🇨🇦 réduit l'écart en avantage numérique! C'est 2-1 pour la Finlande. 🇫🇮@HockeyCanada @LNH_FR #MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #hockey #jeuxolympiques #equipecanada pic.twitter.com/krBwogTm4U
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 20, 2026
Canada took over the game from that point on, but it’s always incredibly difficult to dislodge the Finns when they’re in an advantageous defensive position.
Just ask the Soviet Union.
Thankfully for Canada, their hard work eventually paid off when defenceman Shea Theodore scored with a massive blast from the point.
You’ll note it was far from a fancy play, which is exactly what Canada needs to do with more frequency in the medal rounds. Perfect plays are fun to watch, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how you score, just how many you score.
HOCKEY🏒Shea Theodore 🇨🇦 crée l'impasse en 3e période! C'est 2-2 avec 9:26 à faire au match🤩@HockeyCanada#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #hockey #jeuxolympiques #equipecanada pic.twitter.com/aTYMe88Vpj
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 20, 2026
Even though Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros did a great job for Finland as Canada dominated the shot clock, he could not stem the tide when the Canadians were given a powerplay in the dying minutes of the third period.
Nathan MacKinnon, the player who drew the high sticking powerplay in the first place, scored with less than a minute left in the frame, giving Canada their first lead of the game when it mattered most.
(To view this highlight in the United States, please visit this link.)
MACKINNON GIVES CANADA THE 3-2 LEAD WITH 30 SECONDS LEFT 🚨🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/8RTJnoAATP
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 20, 2026
Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will play for the gold medal on Sunday, with the puck drop scheduled for 8:10 am ET.
