The United States men’s ice hockey team staged a comeback to defeat Denmark 6-3 on Saturday at the Santagiulia Arena in Milan, preserving their perfect record in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Featuring top National Hockey League talent for the first time since 2014, Team USA notched their second victory following a 5-1 opening win against Latvia. The result keeps their pursuit of a first Olympic gold medal since 1980 firmly on course.
First Period Struggles
Denmark drew first blood when Nick Olesen scored early, only for Matt Boldy to restore parity shortly after. The Danes regained the advantage in the first period as Nicholas B. Jensen unleashed a shot from center ice that found the net, putting Team USA in a 2-1 hole.
Second Period Turnaround
Brady Tkach of the Ottawa Senators erased the deficit early in the second stanza with a precise shot past Denmark’s Mads Sogaard. Jack Eichel, who assisted on Tkach’s tally, then fired a sharp wrist shot to give the Americans the lead.
Noah Hanifin notched his first Olympic goal less than a minute later, extending the advantage to 4-2. Phillip Bruggisser narrowed the gap for Denmark before the period ended.
Third Period Control
Team USA asserted dominance in the final period. Auston Matthews recovered a loose puck to set up Jake Guentzel for a powerful one-timer that made it 5-3.
Jack Hughes capped the scoring with a clever wraparound, banking the puck off backup goaltender Frederik Dichow’s skate after deking behind the net.
The Americans face a quick turnaround against Germany in their next Group C matchup on Sunday.
