Olympic hockey delivered edge-of-your-seat drama on Wednesday. The men's quarterfinals saw three of four games go to overtime, with top-seeded Canada defeating Czechia 4-3 and second-seeded Team USA beating Sweden 2-1 in sudden-death matchups that had fans on the edge of their seats.
It wasn't smooth sailing for Canada. Czechia shocked the defending Olympic powerhouse by leading 2-1 after the first period. Captain Sidney Crosby left the game with a leg injury in the second period, but Canada rallied back, tying it 2-2 before Mitch Marner sealed the win with the overtime goal. The victory was especially sweet—it was a rematch of the iconic 1998 Nagano Olympics semifinal when Czech Republic defeated Canada in a shootout.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes scored just over three minutes into overtime to send Team USA past Sweden in another heart-stopping finish. Despite Sweden's strong performance, the Americans held on to advance undefeated. Slovakia also powered through with a decisive 6-2 win over Germany, while Finland edged Switzerland 3-2 in overtime.
The semifinal matchups are now set for Friday, February 20. Canada faces Finland at 10:40 a.m. ET, while Team USA plays Slovakia at 3:10 p.m. ET. Both games will stream on Peacock, with USA's game also airing on NBC. The intensity will only grow from here as these elite teams eye spots in the gold medal game.