Predicting the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Qualifying Round
We’ve made it through the group stages of the Olympic Men’s Hockey tournament, and the four teams that are getting a bye to the quarterfinals are set: Canada, USA, Slovakia,…
Tag Archives: Hockey
2026 Olympics Men’s Hockey Qualification Preview: 8 Teams Look to Keep Medal Hopes Alive
The Men’s Hockey Tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has finally reached the knockout stage of play. Eight teams will look to keep their hopes of making it to the…
Olympics hockey overtime, shootout rules explained
Olympics hockey, just like the NHL, doesn't allow for ties.
A game will go to overtime if it is tied after 60 minutes and there also is the possibility of a shootout if the game remains tied once an overtime period ends.
But there are differences between NHL rules and Olympic rules on how overtimes and shootouts are conducted. The maximum length of a sudden death overtime depends on the round in which the game is being played. And the shootout format is totally different from the one used by the NHL.
Here's an explainer on how overtimes and shootouts work in Olympic hockey:
Olympic overtime rules
If the teams are tied after 60 minutes in the preliminary round, a five-minute sudden-death overtime will be played at 3-on-3. Unlike the NHL, teams don't change ends for overtime.
Overtime in a playoff game, along with the bronze medal game, lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. It's also 3-on-3, as opposed to 5-on-5 in NHL playoff games.
In the gold medal game, teams play 20-minute 3-on-3 overtime periods, separated by 15-minute intermissions, until someone scores. Teams don't change sides for the first overtime but do for subsequent overtimes.
Olympic shootout rules
If overtime doesn't settle a game outside of the gold medal game, there will be a shootout. The winner of a coin toss gets to choose whether their team shoots first or second.
The format differs from the NHL, with five shooters per team instead of three. If nothing is settled after five rounds, then each round is sudden death as in the NHL. But there's another difference. Olympic teams can use the same shooters multiple times during the sudden death rounds (think back to TJ Oshie in the 2014 Olympics). They also can change goaltenders.
In the sudden death round, the team that shot second in the first five rounds will shoot first. The rounds continue until one team finishes with one more goal than the other. That team is declared the winner.
Overtime games at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Feb. 15 - Switzerland 4, Czechia 3: Switzerland's Dean Kukan scored at 1:49 of overtime.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Overtime, shootout rules in Olympics hockey: How it differs from NHL
3 Chicago Blackhawks Who Could Be Olympians In 2030
Teuvo Teravainen is the only player on the Chicago Blackhawks’ active roster participating in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, taking place in Milano Cortina. Adam Gajan, who is a Blackhawks prospect playing at the University of Minnesota Duluth, is the third-string goalie for Team Slovakia.
There were a handful of Blackhawks players who could have been chosen to make their respective teams, but only Teravainen earned a spot in the end.
The number of Blackhawks participating is likely to increase by the time the games reach France in 2030. If all goes well, these three players should find themselves earning spots on Olympic rosters by then:
Connor Bedard - Canada
Connor Bedard was on the cusp of making Team Canada this time around, but an injury at the worst time didn’t help his case. At the time of the injury, Bedard was keeping pace with the league’s leading scorers, but missing about a month took him out of that race.
Right now, Bedard is one of the best young players in the NHL. By the time he is in his seventh NHL season, if he stays healthy, Bedard will be one of the best in the world. He is already an All-Star caliber player, but making the hardest team in the world to make is something he will achieve in his career.
Last summer, Bedard was committed to working on some of the deficiencies in his game, and a lot of it appears to be corrected so far this year. Bedard came in faster, stronger, and more willing to play a 200-foot game. All of these skills will only help his Team Canada case down the line.
Spencer Knight - USA
For the 2026 Olympic Games, Team USA just went with the three goalies that they brought to the 4-Nations Face-Off in 2025, which includes Jeremy Swayman, Connor Hellebuyck, and Jake Oettinger. Chances are that they will be looking in another direction by 2030.
Spencer Knight had a case to make it this year, based on his play with an up-and-down Blackhawks team. Knight covers up for a lot of Chicago’s defensive issues, and he’s only 24. When he’s 28 in 2030, he should be at the height of his powers by then.
When you look at the landscape of goaltending around USA Hockey, Knight is right in the middle of it. By that time, he may even be at the forefront of all goalies in the NHL, competing for Vezina Trophies and playoff positioning. Being a part of Team USA in the future must be on his checklist, and rightfully so.
Anton Frondell - Sweden
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell with the 3rd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Frondell’s national team is Sweden, which is one of three countries (United States, Canada) icing an entire roster of NHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, he could have easily fit in on that team with the skills he possesses.
At the World Junior Championships representing Sweden, Frondell played incredible hockey and led them to a Gold Medal. You’d have to think that more international dominance is in his future.
Frondell is likely to make his NHL debut at some point this season, and he should be a lock for the Olympics by the time 2030 rolls around.
Sweden is deep, but it is hard to see them being deep enough to keep a kid like Frondell off their roster, especially if he is an NHL regular by then.
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Olympic hockey arena to install lighter boards after player feedback
The new banners are expected to be pasted on in time for the men’s hockey qualification round Tuesday, the league sources say. Arena staff began removing the current banners immediately following Monday night’s women’s hockey semifinal between Canada and Switzerland
The banners were going to be changed all along due to wear and tear, but players and NHL officials have pointed out to the IOC how problematic the darker green color specifically in different areas of the boards could be problematic for sight when it comes to finding a black puck.
In the U.S.-Denmark game, United States goalie Jeremy Swayman said he couldn’t see a puck coming at him fired from near the Denmark bench.
“It was a flash screen and it was just the perfect height right between the stands and board level, and I truly lost it,” he said.
The CBC and NBC broadcast crews wondered aloud during the telecast whether Swayman lost the puck because of the color of the boards in the vicinity of where the puck was shot.
To Swayman’s credit, he didn’t use it as an excuse, joking after the game that he was colorblind, so it didn’t matter to him anyway.
“It’s something all of us always have to face and we play in different arenas every night in the NHL, so this is just one, another one, and it’s a challenge that we have to embrace,” Swayman said.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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Carolina Hurricanes reach 3-year extension with goaltender Brandon Bussi through 2028-29 season
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year, $5.7 million extension, keeping the one-time waiver pickup in place through the 2028-29 season.
The Hurricanes announced the deal Monday, the latest chapter in Bussi's unlikely rise to prominence for one of the Eastern Conference's top contenders. The rookie is tied for third in the NHL with 23 wins and second with a 2.16 goals-against average. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
“I think we have the potential to do very exciting things here over the next few years," Bussi said in a Zoom call with reporters. "It kinda felt like a no-brainer when this became an option to explore and kind of make it happen.”
Carolina acquired Bussi on waivers from two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida in October, when the Hurricanes were sticking with veteran Frederik Andersen and 26-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov as their top two netminders. But that depth play — both Andersen and Kochetkov have had a history with injuries — has turned into a massive transaction.
Now he’s seized control of the crease for Carolina, potentially for the longer term, with the 36-year-old Andersen not being as effective and Kochetkov lost to season-ending surgery for a lingering lower-body injury by December.
Bussi made his NHL debut in a 5-1 win against San Jose on Oct. 14, earned his first shutout Nov. 30 against Calgary, matched a franchise record with nine straight wins and is 23-3-1 with two shutouts.
Before this season, the 27-year-old Bussi had never played in the NHL while appearing in 111 games in the American Hockey League after playing in college at Western Michigan.
“Before we brought him to Raleigh, Brandon had been successful at every level from the USHL to college to the AHL,” general manager Eric Tulsky said in a statement. "Given the opportunity at the NHL level this season, he’s proven to be a winner here too. We are thrilled that he will continue to provide a steady presence in the crease for this team into the future.”
Bussi's existing deal for this season is worth $775,000. Andersen is making $2.75 million this season and is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, while Kotchetkov is under contract for another season at $2 million.
The Hurricanes announced their charitable foundation would also make a $10,000 donation to the Autism Society of North Carolina in honor of the extension. Bussi's younger brother, Dylan, has autism and his goaltender mask is a tribute to his brother to raise autism awareness.
Carolina has won at least one postseason series for seven straight seasons, including trips to the Eastern Conference final in 2019, 2023 and last year during that span. The Hurricanes entered the Olympic break with 78 points and ranked third in points-percentage (.684) behind league-leading Colorado (83 points, .755) and Tampa Bay (78, .709).
The Hurricanes had earned points in their last 10 games before the break, winning eight.
“It's difficult to break into the league,” Bussi said. "Sometimes different opportunities pop up in different ways. Mine happened in a way that doesn't happen for a lot of people. But there's a lot of good hockey players out there and things happen for a reason. That's kind of been my motto, and I'm very fortunate that it gets to happen here for longer."
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Former Panthers Goaltender Signs Extension With Hurricanes
Former Florida Panthers goaltender Brandon Bussi has signed a three-year contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 27-year-old will earn $1.9 million annually starting in the 2026-27 season. Bussi has been one of the best stories of the season so far and has earned the job as the No.1 goaltender in Raleigh.
Bussi started the season with the Panthers, signing a one-year deal with the Panthers in the off-season. The goal was for Bussi to serve as the third-string goaltender and spend most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers.
Unfortunately, as pre-season concluded, the Panthers attempted to send Bussi to the AHL via waivers, but the Hurricanes claimed him. He remained with the Hurricanes’ NHL club because of injuries to Frederik Anderson and Pyotr Kochetkov, and won the role as the starting netminder.
This season, Bussi had posted a .908 save percentage and a 2.16 goals-against average in 27 games. Additionally, he’s posted a 23-3-1 record with two shutouts.
'It's A Great Day To Say The Least.': Brandon Bussi Talks New Deal, Extending In Raleigh And MoreRecord-shattering goalie Brandon Bussi inks a three-year Carolina extension, ready to chase championships and celebrate big moments in Raleigh.Although the Panthers would have loved to see him remain with the organization, there wasn’t going to be much of an opportunity for Bussi to make such a lasting mark. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov remaining relatively healthy through the season, the Panthers would have seen no purpose in recalling Bussi to the NHL.
In all, it’s a happy moment for Bussi, who is a perfect example of never giving up on your dreams and of hard work helping you accomplish what you desire.
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