Canada wins against Finland with Nathan MacKinnon's heroic goal to reach the Olympic gold medal game

In a dramatic turn at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Canada's star player Nathan MacKinnon, delivered a last-minute winning goal to send the team into the men's hockey gold-medal game with a 3-2 victory over Finland in Friday's semifinal. Trailing 2-0 early against the defending Olympic champions, Canada staged a spirited comeback at the Santagiulia Arena. Despite playing without their captain, Sidney Crosby, the team has managed to earn a shot at Olympic Gold.

As per reports, forward Sam Reinhart also scored to spark a comeback, while defenseman Shea Theodore got the third-period equalizer for Canada. Next, Team Canada will face the winner of a semi-final game later on Friday, between the United States and Slovakia. Meanwhile, Finland will play in Saturday’s bronze medal game.

Nathan MacKinnon’s winning goal sends Canada into the men’s hockey gold medal game at the Winter Olympic Games

Canada earned a spot for the gold medal match by defeating Team Finland 3-2 in the men's ice hockey semifinals at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. With this win, the team will now advance to Sunday's gold medal final. It was Nathan MacKinnon’s last-minute goal, assisted by Connor McDavid, capping a rally from a 2-0 deficit.

As per reports, with 35.2 seconds left on the clock, MacKinnon scored the final goal to put Canada in front 3-2. Finland challenged the goal for offside, but it was allowed. Apart from Nathan MacKinnon, it’s the collective effort of Sam Reinhart, Shea Theodore, and Nathan MacKinnon that defeated Finland 3-2 in semifinal play at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Friday, pushing the Canadians into the finals of the Winter Olympics.


This will be the first time Canada has played for Olympic men’s hockey gold since Sochi 2014, a game that saw the Canadians defeat Sweden 3-0. The Sochi tournament was the last Olympic Games to feature NHL players.

In addition to this, Connor McDavid has also created history on Friday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, establishing a new record for most points by a player in a single Olympic men’s hockey tournament. According to reports, he has recorded the most points in a single Olympic tournament involving NHL players, with 12 points during the semifinal at the Milan Cortina Games.

Canada will next lock horns with the winner of the semi-final game later on Friday between the United States and Slovakia. While Team Finland will play in Saturday’s bronze medal game. The gold medal game is set for 22 February, Sunday.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.