The men's Olympic hockey gold medal matchup will consist of the two teams that many hockey fans both expected and wanted. You'll need to get up early (8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT) on Sunday to watch Canada and the United States face off, as the Olympic closing ceremonies are set to run later that day.

For the second game in a row, Canada brought the drama. Following an overtime win against Czechia on Wednesday, the Canadians found themselves in a 2-0 deficit against Finland before storming back with three goals in regulation for a 3-2 win on Friday. Nathan MacKinnon's power-play game-winning goal with just 35 seconds left in regulation might be an all-timer in Canadian international hockey history.

The power play was thanks to a high-sticking penalty taken by Niko Mikkola, which seemed like the right call to make but one that can be overlooked late in Stanley Cup playoff games (maybe that's where Teemu Selanne was coming from). The Finns unsuccessfully challenged the goal for offside, which made sense given how pivotal the goal was. Call on the ice stands when it's that close.

Good goal in your opinion? 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/pjXFmG8z8A
— Dobber (@DobberHockey) February 20, 2026

Sam Reinhart scored Canada's first goal in the second period, while Shea Theodore blasted the game-tying goal with just under 10 minutes remaining and Canada pressuring. The shot total was 39-17 Canada, which showed how much Finland was on its heels after taking the 2-0 lead.

Mikko Rantanen scored the game's opening goal for Finland. Erik Haula made it 2-0 Finland with a shorthanded goal early in the second period. At that time, Canadians were already second-guessing the team that the decision makers brought to Italy, wondering if an Olympic gold was slipping away. The state-of-Canadian-hockey summit will have to wait another day.

Sidney Crosby and Josh Morrissey were unable to return to Canada's lineup for Friday's match. According to Elliotte Friedman, Canada tried to put together a custom brace for Crosby to play, but he was unable to go. Whether Crosby and/or Morrissey actually play on Sunday, I'd be concerned about them missing games once they return to the NHL. These are high-stakes games, so they may not be 100% even if they suit up on Sunday.

Crosby and Morrissey probably aren't dealing with anything long-term, but keep in mind that they might be unavailable for your next scoring period. Next week might be a short week in your fantasy league because NHL teams don't return to action until Wednesday. In the spirit of gamesmanship, expect them to be game-time decisions for Sunday.

Although Connor McDavid did not score a goal in this game, his contributions to this game cannot be understated. For starters, McDavid filled in as Canada's captain with Crosby sidelined. McDavid finished with two assists in 25:20 of icetime, which made perfect sense given how long Canada was playing without the lead in this game. With an astounding 13 points in just five games, McDavid has to be the frontrunner as the tournament MVP. Not far behind is Macklin Celebrini, whose star power is rising fast with five goals and 10 points over his five games.

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The path to the final was smoother and less eventful for the United States, which finished with a 6-2 win over Slovakia on Friday. Jack Hughes led the way with a pair of goals, while Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and Tage Thompson each finished with a goal and an assist. Zach Werenski finished with three assists. Dylan Larkin scored the other goal for the US, which opened the scoring.

Thompson was pulled from the game after two periods for what was described as precautionary reasons. However, coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that he expects Thompson to play in the gold medal game. Yet another injury to keep an eye on in fantasy leagues.

Slovakian goalie Samuel Hlavaj has been an unexpected star in this tournament, backstopping Slovakia to get farther than most expected. However, Hlavaj was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals. Expect Hlavaj to be back between the pipes today as the Slovaks compete for the bronze medal. Prior to Friday, Hlavaj had a very solid .932 SV% in three Olympic games.

Hlavaj's AHL numbers (5-9-4, 3.33 GAA, .884 SV%) are hardly impressive, but he is playing for the league's last-place team in the Iowa Wild. I just added him in a very deep league where I need more goaltenders in my minor league system. His Olympic performance has certainly gotten him noticed by the hockey world at large, although he shouldn't be considered an elite goaltending prospect by any means. Hlavaj is already 24 years old and behind both Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt on Minnesota's goalie depth chart.

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Here are the top Frozen Tools searches from the past week:

(1/2) This week's top #fantasyhockey profile pages:

1) Kevin Fiala https://t.co/Plu4oxLZHf
2) Bo Horvat https://t.co/6FTwf2blA9
3) Macklin Celebrini https://t.co/RQgPtW9pOD
4) Juraj Slafkovsky https://t.co/OODYZtFcfR
5) Jack Quinn https://t.co/ktcpiaqvVN
— Frozen Tools (@FrozenTools) February 19, 2026

(2/2) This week's top #fantasyhockey profile pages:

6) Pierre-Luc Dubois https://t.co/6gD4t6a08T
7) Elias Pettersson https://t.co/yzIQPxg63v
8) Travis Sanheim https://t.co/KavUswuDJX
9) Bradly Nadeau https://t.co/KrkT8m4UBx
10) Connor Mcdavid https://t.co/asihWsqH2k
— Frozen Tools (@FrozenTools) February 19, 2026

This week I'll discuss two names on the list from Team Canada. You know all about Celebrini and McDavid, so let's focus on two players serving in more of a supporting cast role.

Bo Horvat

If the Canucks had a do-over, do you think they would have traded J.T. Miller in 2022-23 and re-signed Horvat instead? The Canucks are believed to have culture and leadership issues, so trading a player like Horvat who has been a positive in both seems like a big mistake (although the Horvat trade tree resulted in Filip Hronek, who might be the Canucks' next captain). Not to mention that Horvat's stock has been on the rise overall the past few seasons.

The season Horvat was traded happened to be his best season. He finished that season with a career-high 38 goals and 70 points. Horvat was scoring at over a point per game for the Canucks (31 G and 54 PTS in 49 GP), so the thought at the time was that his value would plummet with a trade to the Islanders. It did initially, but changes to Patrick Roy's system have benefitted Horvat. If he hadn't lost 14 games due to injury this season, Horvat would be on pace for 75 points, which would be a new career best. However, his current 0.91 PTS/GP pace (40 PTS in 44 GP) is the best scoring pace of the 30-year-old's career.

Thought to be a 20-25-goal, 50-60-point player during much of his time with the Canucks, Horvat has taken another step over the last few years. That has a lot to do with a shot rate that has gradually increased over the past decade. In his rookie season of 2014-15, Horvat averaged just 1.4 SOG/GP. Compare that to today, where Horvat averages 3.2 SOG/GP. Improvement isn't always linear, but you could basically draw a straight line on Horvat's shot per game average from that rookie season until today. Much of that can be attributed to Horvat's professional approach to the game.

Travis Sanheim

I'm honestly not sure why Sanheim was one of the top-searched players, aside from the fact that he is on Team Canada. If you're looking for debate on whether Sanheim belongs on the Olympic team, you've come to the wrong place. You may have your opinions of him as an overall defenseman. I'll just stick to saying that he's a defenseman that I have drafted in the late rounds multiple times when trying to fill out my roster.

Sanheim averages more minutes (24:02) than any Flyers player, which results in him providing modest totals in many fantasy categories. Nothing that jumps out at you, though. Call that high floor and low ceiling, if you will. Sanheim is usually good for about 30 points, just over 100 shots on goal, at least 130 blocked shots, and just under 100 hits. However, you won't likely be rushing to the waiver wire to add Sanheim, as his career high in power-play points is 5 PPP.

All of that could make Sanheim a better real-life defenseman than fantasy defenseman. But at least you know what you are getting. On top of that, Sanheim is very low risk to be injured, as he has missed only five games over the past six seasons (including this one). Sanheim won't win you your league, but he's definitely a set-and-forget piece for deeper multicategory leagues.

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