USA vs Slovakia Preview & Prediction | 2026 Winter Olympics | Men’s Ice Hockey | Semi-Final
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After taking a giant step closer to the gold medal game by edging out Sweden in the last eight, only Slovakia now stands between USA and the final.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports (some events will also be televised on the BBC / TNT Sports / Not Televised / USA – NBC, USA Network, CNBC & NBCSN
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ (some events can be streamed live on the BBC’s digital platforms / USA – Peacock & nbcolympics.com
USA vs Slovakia prediction
Without being disrespectful to Slovakia, for many it felt like the quarter-final between USA and Sweden was an unofficial semi-final when taking into account the standard of players on show among both rosters. Whoever came out on top were always going to be firm favourites against a Slovakia squad with just six NHL players. In the end, it was the USA who came through, defeating Sweden for the first time in the Olympics since 1960 after Quinn Hughes’ goal in overtime sealed a memorable 2-1 triumph.
Of course, Slovakia will be looking to cause a semi-final surprise and should relish in their tag as underdogs. They’ve reached this stage of the competition on merit, topping their preliminary round group despite losing to Sweden, before blowing Germany away offensively with a 6-2 win in the quarter-finals. San Jose Sharks winger Pavol Regenda was outstanding in front of goal and he’ll need to show that same level of potency once again here to give Slovakia any chance. A huge performance will also be required by goaltender Samuel Hlavaj of the Minnesota Wild, who has also enjoyed an excellent tournament so far with a .932% save percentage across three starts.
However, USA are expected to prove a bridge too far for Slovakia. They boast a defensive line good enough to stifle this Slovakian offence, whilst USA’s attacking depth should overwhelm their opponents despite the best efforts of Hlavaj. The sensible play is to back a fairly comprehensive USA win.
USA vs Slovakia tip: USA to win with -2.5 handicap
