Canada beat Finland 3-2: Nathan MacKinnon’s late goal powers team to 2026 Olympic gold medal final
Nathan MacKinnon took control and wired a shot from a tough angle that beat Juuse Saros high glove side. Finland challenged for offside, but video review upheld the goal. The late winner sparked joy among Canadian players and fans.
Canada delivered another heart-pounding performance in the Milano Cortina 2026 men's hockey semifinals, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat Finland 3-2 on Friday night. Nathan MacKinnon's dramatic power-play strike with 35.2 seconds remaining sealed the comeback and booked Canada's spot in Sunday's gold-medal showdown.
Finland strikes first, build early lead
Finland, the defending champions from Beijing 2022, jumped out to a commanding 2-0 advantage. Mikko Rantanen opened the scoring with a power-play goal late in the first period. Erik Haula then extended the lead with a short-handed tally in the second, silencing the red-and-white clad crowd at Santagiulia Arena.
Canada's response was slow but steady. Playing without injured captain Sidney Crosby, the team leaned on its star-studded lineup, including Connor McDavid.
Canada's relentless pressure sparks comeback
The tide turned in the second period as Canada dominated possession, outshooting Finland 14-3. Sam Reinhart got Canada on the board with a clever tip-in off Cale Makar's shot, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Momentum carried into the third. Shea Theodore tied the game at 2-2 with 9:26 left, blasting a shot through traffic that beat Finnish goaltender Juuse Saros. The goal ignited the Canadian bench and fans after a tense stretch.
MacKinnon's heroics seal the win
The decisive moment came late. After Nathan MacKinnon was high-sticked by Niko Mikkola, Canada earned a power play. Moments earlier, Saros robbed MacKinnon with a sharp blocker save.
Connor McDavid, showing elite vision, threaded a perfect saucer pass over penalty killer Roope Hintz's stick to MacKinnon. The Colorado Avalanche star fired a shot short side, with Macklin Celebrini providing a key screen. The puck found the net with 35.2 seconds left.
Finland challenged for offside, but the video review upheld the goal. MacKinnon's tally completed the comeback from two goals down.
Canada's path to gold
This resilient performance marks another escape for Canada after earlier close calls. The stacked roster, featuring stars like McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and young standout Celebrini, broke through Finland's defensive trap with persistence and skill.
Canada now await the winner of the second semifinal between the unbeaten United States and Slovakia.
About the Author
Aachal Maniyar is a Senior Content Producer at LiveMint, where she covers US sports with a focus on major leagues, marquee events, and athlete-driven stories, while also reporting extensively on cricket and global sports. With over five years of first-hand journalism experience, she combines sharp editorial judgment with real-time sports storytelling across platforms. <br><br> Her reporting journey spans leading newsrooms including Thomson Reuters, India TV, BTVI, ET NOW, and CNBC TV18, where she has worked across breaking news, live match coverage, feature writing, interviews, video scripting, and anchoring. This multi-platform exposure has shaped her ability to deliver context-rich sports and business journalism tailored for both television and digital audiences. <br><br> Aachal has conducted and produced exclusive interviews with athletes and public figures such as India cricketer Dhruv Jurel, Indian women’s hockey captain Savita Punia, and industrialist Ratan Tata, along with several emerging and established sports personalities. Her body of work includes in-depth explainers, athlete profiles, emotionally resonant fan narratives, and data-backed match analysis across cricket, Olympic sports, and international competitions. <br><br> She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, and believes in reporting that is grounded in accuracy, clarity, and credibility. Her philosophy is simple: sports journalism should go beyond scores and statistics, capturing the human stories, pressure moments, and decisions that shape the game and the people who play it.
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