The knockout round of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament kicked off on Tuesday without any major surprises. Now, the four quarterfinal match-ups are set, as eight nations remain in the hunt for a medal.

Here’s a preview of Wednesday’s quarterfinal matches (all times in MT):

Both Slovakia and Germany came into this tournament as dark horse contenders for a podium finish, and so far it’s been Slovakia who has looked more primed for that surprise result. Slovakia opened their tournament with an upset win over Finland, and 2022 tournament MVP Juraj Slafkovsky has three goals and three assists through three games. Tim Stützle, meanwhile, has been the standout for Germany with four goals and two assists, with Leon Draisaitl contributing two goals and four assists. The Germans earned a decisive 5-1 win over France in the qualifying round, but with losses to Latvia and the US, there’s doubts about their ability to grind out key wins.

Canada defeated Czechia 5-0 in preliminary play, backstopped by a shutout from Jordan Binnington. Czechia followed that game with a shaky win over France, an overtime loss to Sweden, then a 3-2 defeat of Denmark in the qualifying round. Martin Nečas and David Kampf have been good for Czechia, but they’ll need to kick it into another gear to keep up with this undefeated Canadian group, which boasts an all-star offensive unit and has only conceded three goals against.

Switzerland claimed their place in the quarterfinals with a decisive 3-0 victory over the host Italians, with 38-year-old goaltender Leonardo Genoni earning his second shutout in three starts and Nico Hischier putting up a three-point performance. Now, they face Finland, who wrapped preliminary play with their own 11-0 trouncing of Italy, powered by two goals and an assists from Kaapo Kakko. Finland started the tournament with an upset loss to Slovakia, but they look to have found their form and will be a tough opponent for Switzerland, who haven’t made the final four in nearly 80 years.

Sweden have under-performed at the Olympics so far compared to high expectations entering the tournament, and as a result, they’re up against a tough quarterfinal opponent in the United States. The US faced some scares in preliminary play, ultimately pulled out three strong wins, but Sweden will be their first real test. Both teams are strong podium contenders, who will come out on top?

Catch Every Goal from the 2026 Milan Games! The 2026 Milan Games are almost here, and the world’s best men’s and women’s hockey players are ready to battle for gold! The Nation Network is bringing you every game, every jaw-dropping save, and all the drama with live reaction streams and full recaps. Don’t miss a moment of Olympic hockey action—men’s, women’s, and everything in between—on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel. Subscribe now and stay on top of every play!