At the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the United States men’s ice hockey team showcased its depth and resilience Saturday night, rallying from an early deficit to defeat Denmark 6-3 and remain undefeated in tournament play.
Denmark struck first and stunned the Americans less than two minutes into the contest when Nick Olesen found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. The early goal put immediate pressure on Team USA, but the response came midway through the opening period.
Matt Boldy delivered the equalizer with a wrap-around finish, set up by defenseman Quinn Hughes. The tally marked Boldy’s first Olympic goal and briefly swung momentum back in favor of the Americans. However, Denmark answered before the intermission, as Nicholas B. Jensen capitalized to give his side a 2-1 edge heading into the locker room.
Whatever message was delivered during the first intermission resonated.
The United States came out flying in the second period, scoring twice in less than a minute to seize control. It began with Jack Eichel winning a clean face-off and feeding Brady Tkachuk, who buried the tying goal with authority.
Moments later, Eichel again made his presence felt. The center for the Vegas Golden Knights won another key draw and finished off a favorable bounce himself, scoring an unassisted goal that put the Americans ahead for good.
“I love the resilience of our team and especially the response after the first period,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “We continued to get better as the game went on.”
With momentum fully on their side, the Americans added to their lead. Noah Hanifin extended the advantage, followed by goals from Jake Guentzel and Jack Hughes to seal the 6-3 victory.
The win keeps Team USA perfect in group play and underscores the squad’s balance, with contributions coming from every line and strong play at the face-off circle proving decisive.
The United States will close out the group stage against Germany on Feb. 15, looking to carry its unbeaten momentum into the knockout rounds. The matchup will be broadcast live on NBC and streamed on Peacock as the Americans continue their pursuit of Olympic gold.
