Germany powered its way into the quarterfinals at the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 with a commanding 5-1 victory over France on Tuesday, fueled by another dominant performance from NHL superstar Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl, who has amassed 1,036 career points with the Edmonton Oilers and captured the NHL’s Hart Trophy in 2020, once again showed why he is one of the game’s elite players. The 30-year-old forward finished with a goal and two assists at Santaguilia Arena, setting the tone early and helping Germany secure its place in the knockout round.
Germany will now face Slovakia on Wednesday morning with a semifinal berth and a chance to compete for an Olympic medal on the line. Despite the stakes, Draisaitl made it clear afterward that personal legacy is not on his mind.
Germany wasted little time asserting control. Draisaitl opened the scoring at 3:40 of the first period on the power play, taking a slick backhand pass from Oilers prospect Josh Samanski and hammering the puck into an open net for a 1-0 lead.
Frederik Tiffels doubled the advantage at 10:54, gathering a loose puck near the left face-off circle, cutting toward the crease and banking a high shot off the mask of French goaltender Julian Junca and into the net.
The Germans struck again late in the first period. JJ Peterka, who plays for the Utah Mammoth, scored his first goal of the tournament at 18:13 to make it 3-0. Skating alongside Draisaitl and Tim Stützle of the Ottawa Senators, Peterka took a pass in stride through the middle and flipped a backhand over Junca. The trio’s chemistry was evident, and Germany is expected to keep the line intact for its upcoming clash with Slovakia.
France showed signs of life early in the second period when veteran forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare cut the deficit to 3-1 at 4:02. His centering attempt from behind the net deflected off German defenseman Moritz Müller and slipped past Philipp Grubauer. Bellemare, 40, who played 700 NHL games across multiple teams, confirmed that Tuesday marked his final appearance for France.
German goaltender Philipp Grubauer steadied the game from there, turning aside 30 shots to keep France at bay. France made a goaltending change after the first period, with Antoine Keller stopping 21 shots in relief of Junca, who allowed three goals on 13 shots.
Germany restored its three-goal cushion on the power play at 7:01 of the third period. Samanski converted a pass from Draisaitl in the slot, briefly losing control before regaining the puck and lifting it over Keller to make it 4-1.
With France pressing late, Germany capped the scoring in lighthearted fashion. Draisaitl appeared to have a clear shot at the empty net but instead slid the puck to veteran forward Nico Sturm, who buried it with 56 seconds remaining for the 5-1 final.
Germany now turns its attention quickly to Slovakia, led by rising star Juraj Slafkovsky. Slovakia advanced after winning a tough Group B that included Sweden and Finland, setting up a high-stakes showdown with less than 24 hours of rest for the Germans.
With Draisaitl leading the charge and Germany clicking at both ends of the ice, the team has positioned itself as a serious contender as the medal round begins in Milan.
