Lead
Jordan Binnington backstopped Team Canada to a 5-0 victory over Team Czechia in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 opener on Feb. 12 at Santagiulia Arena in Milan, making 26 saves. Connor McDavid recorded three assists and 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini scored the late first-period winner, becoming the first teenager to register a game-winning goal in an Olympics featuring NHL players. Canada’s offense added goals from Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki as Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots for Czechia. The result gives Canada a 1-0 start in Group A and a clean-sheet performance that answered lingering questions about its starting goaltender.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Canada 5, Czechia 0; game played Feb. 12, 2026, at Santagiulia Arena in Milan.
- Jordan Binnington made 26 saves to record an Olympic shutout; he is 4-1-0 in best-on-best international tournaments with NHL players.
- Connor McDavid tallied three assists; Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley each added two helpers.
- Macklin Celebrini tipped in the game-winner with 5.7 seconds left in the first period and is the first teenager to score a game-winning goal in NHL-player Olympics history.
- Lukas Dostal finished with 31 saves for Czechia, which falls to 0-0-1 in the tournament.
- Canada’s Josh Morrissey exited in the second period with an injury and did not return; no update was provided postgame.
- Canada improved its Olympic record in tournaments including NHL players to 11 wins; its last such loss dates to the 2010 Vancouver round-robin versus the United States.
Background
Selection of Team Canada’s starting goaltender for Milano Cortina 2026 had been a persistent narrative in the run-up to the Games, amplified by Jordan Binnington’s uneven NHL form this season (8-17-6 with St. Louis). Coaches and media debated alternatives, but Canada’s staff leaned on Binnington’s recent international pedigree, notably his 4 Nations Face-Off championship performance roughly a year earlier.
The 2026 Games mark a return to “best-on-best” Olympic hockey for NHL players after the league’s absence from 2018 and 2022. Canada entered the tournament with a star-laden roster — veterans like Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid plus emerging talents such as Celebrini — and the country is seeking its third consecutive Olympic gold in tournaments that included NHL players (2010, 2014; NHL players absent in 2018 and 2022).
Main Event
The match remained scoreless through most of the first period thanks in part to several early saves by Binnington, including a sprawling stop on David Kampf with 1:53 left in the period. Canada then struck late: Cale Makar’s shot was redirected by Celebrini at 5.7 seconds remaining, giving the Canadians a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Canada extended the margin at 6:40 of the second when Mark Stone converted a tidy feed from Mitch Marner after a puck battle won by Sidney Crosby. The sequence underscored Canada’s quick transition play and ability to create high-danger chances from board work and net-front presence.
Bo Horvat finished a one-on-one rush at 17:26 of the second, taking a cross-ice feed from Brad Marchand and executing a forehand-backhand move to slip the puck through Lukas Dostal’s pads for a 3-0 advantage. The scoring sequence highlighted Canada’s depth scoring beyond the top line.
Nathan MacKinnon, on a power play set up by a slick McDavid-Crosby sequence, made it 4-0 at 7:42 of the third. Nick Suzuki added the final goal at 15:23 of the third to complete the 5-0 result. Czechia generated several chances—Dostal made 31 saves—but could not convert against Binnington and a tight Canadian defensive structure.
Analysis & Implications
Binnington’s shutout provides an immediate, tangible answer to questions about Canada’s crease. Despite a rough regular season with St. Louis (8-17-6), his performance in Milan echoes his prior international success, reinforcing coaching staff confidence that he can handle high-pressure, elite-level assignments. The result may buy him more margin for error in early-round rotations, while also establishing Canada’s depth behind a veteran-plus-young-skills defensive corps.
Offensively, McDavid’s three-assist night reiterated his role as the team’s primary playmaker and a multiplier for star teammates. Celebrini’s milestone—first teenager to score a game-winning Olympic goal with NHL players—adds a developmental storyline: Canada’s blend of seasoned leaders and emerging talent can produce quick dividends in tournament play.
For Czechia, the game spotlighted a heavy dependence on Lukas Dostal; his 31 saves kept the scoreline respectable early. Czech captain Radko Gudas and others emphasized Dostal’s importance to any Czechian upside in the tournament. Still, the team must improve finishing on opportunities and address defensive lapses that allowed Canada clean scoring chances.
Looking ahead, Canada faces Switzerland on Feb. 14 (3:10 p.m. ET), a match that will test whether the team can sustain its two-way structure and whether coaches will rotate goaltenders as expected. Czechia plays France on Feb. 14 (10:40 a.m. ET); the back-to-back schedule for both teams may influence lineup choices and in-game management.
Comparison & Data
| Team | Goals | Shots on Goal | Saves | Starting Goalie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 5 | 36 | 31 | Jordan Binnington (26 saves, shutout) |
| Czechia | 0 | 26 | 26 | Lukas Dostal (31 saves) |
The table contrasts scoring and goaltending. Canada’s 36 shots on goal and 5 goals indicate an efficient finish rate in high-danger areas, while Czechia’s 26 SOG yielded no goals despite Dostal’s heavier workload overall. The distribution underlines Canada’s ability to generate higher-quality chances and to capitalize on special teams, where a MacKinnon power-play finish widened the gap.
Reactions & Quotes
Coach Jon Cooper framed his choice of Binnington as settled well before the opener, citing the goaltender’s recent international performances and resilience.
“Well, probably about 358 days ago,”
Jon Cooper, Team Canada head coach
Cooper’s remark referred to Binnington’s form at the 4 Nations Face-Off and was offered to explain why there was little internal debate about the starter despite regular-season struggles.
Canada forwards emphasized the impact of key saves on momentum and how Binnington kept the team in striking distance early.
“He made some big saves … would have been a different game without ‘Binner,'”
Nathan MacKinnon, Team Canada forward
MacKinnon underscored a pivotal save on David Kampf late in the first period that preserved a scoreless frame and set the stage for Celebrini’s tip-in.
Czechia captain Radko Gudas credited Dostal for keeping Czechia competitive while acknowledging his team’s missed scoring chances.
“If we are going to have some success he is going to be a big reason why we are still in this tournament,”
Radko Gudas, Czechia captain
Gudas’ remarks framed Dostal as a backbone for Czechia, even as the team hunts for better finishing and defensive clarity in upcoming games.
Unconfirmed
- Josh Morrissey’s injury: Cooper did not provide a postgame update; the severity and expected recovery timeline remain unconfirmed.
- Next start decision: While Logan Thompson is likely for Canada’s next game vs. Switzerland, an official starter has not been announced.
- Long-term goaltending plan: Whether Binnington will maintain the starting role through the group stage or be part of a planned rotation has not been publicly detailed by coaching staff.
Bottom Line
Canada’s 5-0 win over Czechia delivered both a result and reassurance: Binnington answered selection questions with a 26-save shutout, and the team combined veteran playmaking with a timely contribution from a teenage forward in Celebrini. The performance stabilizes Canada’s early tournament trajectory and gives the coaching staff tangible options in goal and on special teams.
For Czechia, Dostal’s 31 saves offered a defensive pillar but the team must improve finishing to turn chances into points. Both teams face quick turnarounds — Canada against Switzerland and Czechia versus France — where injury reports and lineup choices will shape Group A dynamics heading into the middle rounds.
Sources
- NHL.com game recap (sports news: game report and quotes).
- Milano Cortina 2026 official site (official Olympic schedule and tournament context).
- Hockey Canada (official national team announcements and roster information).