Mitch Marner played the hero as Canada survived to earn a 4-3 overtime win over Czechia in their Olympic quarterfinal.
Marner split two Czech defenders and beat Lukas Dostal with a backhand in the three-on-three overtime to allow Canada to avoid what would have been a shocking defeat.
Nick Suzuki scored with just under three and a half minutes left to tie the game at 3-3 on a tipped point shot. Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon also scored for Canada.
Ondrej Palat scored to put Czechia back ahead 3-2 in the third period after the team also took a 2-1 lead in the first period.
Jordan Binnington came up with a massive save to deny Martin Necas on a breakaway just ahead of the final minute.
Canadian captain Sidney Crosby was ruled out of the game ahead of the third period with an injury. Crosby left the team’s bench six minutes into the second period with an apparent lower-body injury. Crosby was hit awkwardly by Czechia’s Radko Gudas and limped towards the dressing room.
MacKinnon scored on the power play to level the score at 2-2 in the second period after Canada trailed for more than 15 minutes after falling behind for the first time in the tournament. Canada outshot Czechia 16-5 in the second period after holding just a one-shot advantage in the first.
Celebrini scored just over three minutes into Wednesday’s game before Lukas Sedlak responded just before the 10-minute mark of the first period and David Pastrnak added a power-play marker five minutes later. Celebrini was in the penalty box on an interference penalty when Pastrnak scored.
Prior to Pastrnak’s goal, Canada had not trailed in the tournament.
The quarterfinal was a rematch of the group round opener for both teams which Canada took 5-0 last week.
Celebrini, who also scored the opener in the group game against Czechia, now has five goals in the Olympic tournament.
Macklin Celebrini picks up his seventh point for Team Canada 🇨🇦 -- matching Evgeni Malkin (Russia, 2006) for the most by a teenager in an Olympic tournament with NHL players.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 18, 2026
McDavid ties Olympic Record
Connor McDavid assisted on Canada’s first two goals, tying the all-time record for points in a single Olympics involving NHL players with 11.
Both Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu notched 11 points in Finland’s silver medal-winning performance at Torino 2006.
After suiting up for Canada on numerous occasions at both junior and senior levels, McDavid is making his Olympic debut with NHL participation for the first time since Sochi 2014.
A 29-year-old native of Richmond Hill, Ont., the Edmonton Oilers superstar has already won gold medals with Canada at a World Junior Hockey Championships, a IIHF World Championship and at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off in which he scored the tournament-winning goal in overtime against the United States.
Bennett, Morrissey scratched
Sam Bennett, Josh Morrissey and Darcy Kuemper are not dressed for the game as scratches. The trio were the only members of Team Canada to take a morning skate ahead of the game, spending close to 30 minutes on the ice.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports Bennett and Morrissey need “a couple more days to get back to playing form.” The Olympic semifinals are scheduled for Friday.
Nathan MacKinnon is playing in the quarter-final after an injury scare late in Canada’s win over France Sunday and a missing Tuesday’s skate due to maintenance Tuesday.
Brad Marchand replaced Bennett in the lineup after sitting out the past two games.
Jordan Binnington is in net and making his third start of the tournament for Canada, with Logan Thompson backing him up.
Jiri Tichacek, Radek Faksa and Karel Vejmelka are out for Czechia.
The tournament will reseed for the semifinals with the highest remaining seed facing the lowest remaining seed. Canada exited the group round as the top seed, with Team USA second. Earlier, third-seeded Slovakia defeated Germany in the first quarterfinal.
