The quarterfinals of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament were marked by thrilling near upsets, with three games decided in overtime. Ultimately, the favourites advanced from each contest, but it came down to the wire (except for Slovakia, who handily beat Germany).

Now at the semifinals, it looks destined to be Canada and the United States in the gold medal match, setting up another thrilling instalment in the long-running rivalry between these two hockey nations. But is there any room left for surprises?

Here’s a preview of Friday’s two semifinal matches (all times listed in MT):

Canada cruised through preliminary play, but nearly fell to Czechia in the quarterfinals. Nick Suzuki forced overtime late, where Mitch Marner put it away for the Canadians, but it was a close call. Finland endured a similar situation against Switzerland, down 2-0 for most of the game, before netting two goals in the final 10 minutes, then winning it in the added frame.

Offensively, Canada boasts 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who leads the tournament with five goals, and Connor McDavid, who leads in points with 11. McDavid may have to wear the ‘C’ against Finland, as team captain Sidney Crosby got hurt against Czechia, and may be out for tomorrow’s game.

Meanwhile, Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen have five points each for Finland, and will be key in breaking through Canada’s Jordan Binnington, who looked shaky at times in the quarters.

The United States faced the toughest quarterfinal match-up, going up against Sweden. It was tight game that Sweden levelled with just a minute and a half remaining, but the US were ultimately able to make it through off Quinn Hughes’ overtime winner. Hughes’ six-point total at the Olympics is tied with Auston Matthews for the team lead in points.

Now, they’re facing Slovakia, who put up a decisive 6-2 win over Germany in the quarterfinals. Juraj Slafkovsky was named Olympic MVP in 2022 after powering his team to a first-ever bronze medal finish. This year, he leads his team once again, with three goals and seven points. He’ll continue to be his nation’s X-factor as they look to pull off an upset and advance to their first-ever gold medal match.

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