Finland Seizes Control of Olympic Semifinal Against Canada in Crosby’s Absence
Milan, Friday, 20 February 2026.
Finland commands a 2-0 lead in the Olympic semifinal, capitalizing on special teams with power-play and shorthanded goals against a Canadian squad missing injured captain Sidney Crosby.
Finland Seizes Control of Olympic Semifinal Against Canada in Crosby’s Absence
Following the relief of Mitch Marner’s overtime winner against Czechia, Team Canada finds itself in a precarious position at the Santagiulia Arena in Milan. As of the second period on Friday, Finland holds a commanding 2-0 lead in the men’s hockey semifinal [1][2]. The Finnish squad has capitalized on special teams volatility, netting both power-play and shorthanded goals to stifle a Canadian offense that is visibly missing its captain [4].
Special Teams Dictate Play
Finland opened the scoring on the power play after Canada’s Sam Bennett was penalized for goalie interference [4]. Mikko Rantanen converted the opportunity to break the deadlock [2][4]. The tactical landscape worsened for Canada later in the second period; despite holding a man advantage following an interference call on Sebastian Aho, Canada conceded a shorthanded breakaway goal to Erik Haula [2][4]. This sequence marks the first time in the tournament that Canada has trailed by multiple goals, with the team struggling to generate offense against a disciplined Finnish defensive structure [2][4].
Leadership Shake-up and Youthful Optimism
The uphill battle is compounded by the confirmed absence of Sidney Crosby, who was ruled out of Friday’s contest due to a lower-body injury sustained in the quarterfinal victory over Czechia [3]. In his absence, Connor McDavid has assumed the captaincy, wearing the ‘C’ for the semifinal matchup [3]. While the veteran leadership adjusts, Canada is also leaning on its youth to spark a comeback. Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who has tallied five goals in the tournament, continues to log significant minutes [1][4]. Speaking from the arena, his father Rick Celebrini noted that Macklin is “good at compartmentalizing all of the stuff and just focusing on hockey” despite the mounting pressure of the Olympic stage [1].
A Tournament of Comebacks
Both nations entered this semifinal fresh off dramatic overtime wins in the quarterfinals on Wednesday [4]. While Canada survived a scare against Czechia [5], Finland orchestrated a comeback from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Switzerland 3-2, secured by Artturi Lehkonen’s overtime goal [6]. With Finland currently controlling the pace and the scoreboard in the second period, Canada must now engineer a similar reversal of fortune to keep their gold medal hopes alive [4].