Olympic Hockey Finals Set
Team USA enters the women's Olympic gold medal match against Canada as heavy -425 favorites, having outscored opponents 31-1 and riding a 5-game shutout streak. In men's quarterfinals, USA is favored over Sweden (-235), Canada heavily favored over Czechia (-1600), and Finland over Switzerland (-235).
- The women's gold medal game is a continuation of one of the Olympics' greatest rivalries; Canada and the United States have faced each other in six of the seven gold medal matches held since women's hockey was introduced in 1998. - While Canada holds a 4-2 edge in their previous six Olympic finals, the United States is the reigning world champion and entered the gold medal game on a seven-game winning streak against the Canadians, including a 5-0 victory in the preliminary round. - Four of the last six Olympic gold medal games between the two nations have been decided by a single goal, with one requiring overtime and another a shootout. - The Canadian men's team enters the quarterfinals having already defeated Czechia 5-0 in the preliminary round. Canada dominated its group, outscoring opponents 20-3 to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. - To reach the quarterfinals, Czechia had to win a qualification playoff, narrowly defeating Denmark 3-2. - The United States men's team also earned a direct bye to the quarterfinals after an undefeated preliminary round where they won all three of their games by a margin of three or more goals. - Sweden's path to the quarterfinals was more difficult; after a disappointing preliminary round, the team had to win a qualification playoff game, defeating Latvia 5-1 to advance. - Switzerland is aiming for its first men's hockey medal since the 1948 St. Moritz Games; the team advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Italy 3-0 in a qualification game.
