"We have reached the medal round of the 2026 men's Olympic hockey tournament, and what a tournament it has been. It has been thoroughly entertaining from start to finish in the preliminary round, with surprising talking points and expected brilliance from the best hockey players on the planet. Simply put, the Olympics are better when NHL players are participating. There is no other tournament where the best players are available to represent their countries with so much on the line."
"There are players accustomed to playing major roles on their NHL teams that play lesser roles internationally, and their play drops off as a result. Heading into the medal round, the standings look a little different than many expected. Sweden and Finland struggled at various points, Slovakia and Switzerland overperformed their expectations, and it feels like an upset or two is brewing as the tournament hits its stride."
The medal round of the 2026 men's Olympic hockey tournament features NHL players, increasing overall quality and intensity. Top NHL talent produced expected brilliance and entertaining preliminary-round play filled with surprising talking points. Some players elevate their games internationally while others see reduced roles compared with NHL usage. Standings diverged from expectations: Sweden and Finland experienced struggles; Slovakia and Switzerland outperformed projections. Young Slovak power forward Slafkovsky emerged as a dominant catalyst, tied for second in scoring with six points and leading Slovakia in multiple offensive metrics. Qualification-round matchups and potential upsets loom as the tournament advances.
Read at ESPN.com
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