Three players from the Montreal Canadiens are set to compete in the men's hockey quarter-finals at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina.
Quarterfinal No. 1, Slovakia vs. Germany, 6:10 am ET/ 3:10 pm PT
Juraj Slafkovsky and Team Slovakia will face Team Germany to begin the quarterfinal festivities, one of the benefits gained by securing the No. 3 seed during the qualifying round.
All things considered, it's been another dream performance for Slafkovsky at the Olympics, with three goals and three assists in just three games. Not only is he the leading scorer for his country, but he is also their de facto leader on the ice, setting the tone for the rest of the Slovaks on what can only be described as a lucky team that has done a great job of capitalizing on their hockey passion.
Men's Hockey 🏒 What a goal by Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkowski! Between Slovakia and Sweden it is 1 to 1.@LNH_FR#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #Hockey #teamcanada #olympic games pic.twitter.com/frJpxGVdmX
- Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) 14 February 2026
Keep in mind, Slovakia has approximately 5.5 million citizens, which is about the same population as Alberta or British Columbia.
Punching well above their weight is the name of the game for Slafkovsky and the Slovaks, however, and they will be considered favorites when they face Germany on Wednesday.
That being said, Germany have one of the best players in the world in Leon Draisaitl on their roster, meaning Slovakia cannot take their opponents lightly.
James Duthie: "Who has influenced you, outside of Canada 🇨🇦 or the US 🇺🇸?"
Elliotte Friedman: "Juraj Slafkowski 🇸🇰, the best non-Canadian player in the tournament so far." pic.twitter.com/B8dbVKaxjB
- /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 17 February 2026
Quarterfinal No. 2, Canada vs. Czechia, 9:10 am ET/ 6:10 am PT
Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will put their undefeated record on the line when they take on Czechia in the second quarter-final.
Without trying to dabble in the usual arrogance of Canadian hockey, Czechia will have their hands full as they face one of the best teams ever.
David Pastrnak had this to say about Czechia's match against Canada in the quarterfinals yesterday:
"This might be the best team we've ever played, so maybe we have to put respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them."
- Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) 17 February 2026
Canada is not only the top seed in the tournament, but they also easily defeated the Czechs 5–0 in their tournament opener. Suzuki scored a goal in that game on a great pass from Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
It remains to be seen where Suzuki will play in the lineup, as there is a chance John Cooper may want to use him in a shutdown role, but suffice it to say that the criticism of Suzuki throughout the Olympics has little basis in reality.
Can we stop this nonsense that Nick Suzuki is playing great hockey? Anyone below Mark Stone should honestly sit in front of Nick. Credit : @dimfilipovic pic.twitter.com/lnvWeUBqcU
- TURP (@JFTurpin) 17 February 2026
Quarterfinal No. 3, Finland vs Switzerland, 12:10 pm ET/ 9:10 pm PT
The third quarterfinal could include a Montreal Canadiens player, though there's no guarantee Oliver Kapanen will finally get a chance to make a change on the Olympic ice.
As one of the youngest players in the lineup, his lack of playing time has not been unusual, although it must be said that he is one of the most productive players in the Finnish lineup, with 18 NHL goals to his name.
On that note, former Canadiens forward Joel Armia currently leads the Finns in scoring with two goals and two assists. Another former Hab, Sven Andrighetto, should feature prominently in the third quarterfinal match. The 32-year-old Swiss native has provided three assists in four games representing his country.
Quarterfinal No. 4, United States vs. Sweden, 3:10 PM ET/ 12:10 PM PT
The fourth and final game of the day will not feature any members of the Montreal Canadiens organization, although it remains to be seen if the Americans will regret their roster selection, as they overlooked both Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield.
Passive-aggressiveness aside, Team USA earned the second seed in the tournament, showing that they clearly brought one of the most talented teams to Italy.
As far as Sweden is concerned, relatively speaking their performance in international tournaments remains weak. This does not mean that they fail to win any game, but they fall short when it matters most. To their credit, Sweden won a gold medal in 2006, although it was only their second gold medal in Olympic history.
Despite having one of the most talented rosters at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, they will represent the seventh seed in the quarterfinals.
All Montreal Canadiens and 2026 Winter Olympic Games information via the IIHF.
