With the 2026 Winter Olympics slowly coming to a close, Team Canada is set to face Finland in the men’s hockey semi-final.
Despite finishing first in the preliminaries and vanquishing Czechia in overtime (thanks to Vegas Golden Knights‘ forward Mitch Marner), there is concern surrounding Canada’s captain. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins left the game against Czechia with an injury and did not return. There has been speculation about what that means and how that will impact Canada’s roster for this vital contest.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the USA vs. Slovakia game for the gold medal.
Here is when and where you can watch both games:
- Finland vs Canada: 10:30 AM EST
- Slovakia vs USA: 3:00 PM EST
Canada vs Finland is airing on RDS2, ICI Tele, and CBC. The game is available on streaming courtesy of ICI TOU.TV and CBC Gem. The USA-Slovakia game can be seen on RDS2 and ICI Tele, and is available to stream on CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV.
What’s Going On With Sidney Crosby?
Recent reports have labeled Crosby as a game-time decision for Canada. However, there is a glimmer of hope with a brand new report that has surfaced.
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug shared a new report on X about where things are at with Crosby.
“As planned, Crosby skated this morning in a closed ice session,” Rishaug wrote on February 20th, 2026. “Remains doubtful for tonight, but certainly a good sign he was able to test things out.”
This certainly makes it sound like he won’t play in the semi-final, but if Canada advances to the gold medal game, Crosby will play then.
Elliotte Friedman has confirmed that Crosby will not play for Canada.
Team Canada Line Combinations Without Captain Sidney Crosby
Here are the line combinations for Canada, without Crosby in the lineup:
Canada Forward Lines
Macklin Celebrini – Connor McDavid – Tom Wilson
Bo Horvat – Nathan MacKinnon – Seth Jarvis
Mitch Marner – Nick Suzuki – Mark Stone
Brandon Hagel – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand
Sam Reinhart
Canada’s Defense Pairings
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Thomas Harley – Colton Parayko
Travis Sanheim – Drew Doughty
Shea Theodore
Team Canada’s starting goalie will likely be Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
Finland’s Semi-Final Line Combinations
Here are the line combinations and starting goaltender for Finland.
Finland Forward Lines
Artturi Lehkonen – Sebastian Aho – Mikko Rantanen
Mikael Granlund – Roope Hintz – Teuvo Teravainen
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Kaapo Kakko
Joel Kiviranta – Erik Haula – Joel Armia
Oliver Kapanen
Finland Defense Pairings
Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Niko Mikkola – Rasmus Ristolainen
Olli Maatta – Nikolas Matinpalo
Henri Jokiharju
Goalies
Juuse Saros
Joonas Korpisalo
Finland’s lineup is dominated by players from the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL. That makes Finland a fierce competitor and a strong opponent, a good test for the Canadian team. Because of the many teammates on this Olympic squad, the players already have a certain level of chemistry.
Even with Crosby in the lineup, this would be a tough matchup. Without him, it becomes that much tougher.
Canada vs Finland Line Combinations Without Sidney Crosby