Canada opened their Olympic campaign with a dominant 5-0 win over Czechia, highlighted by five different goal scorers, three assists from Connor McDavid, and a shutout from Jordan Binnington, whose inclusion on the roster was heavily criticized.
MILAN — Canada opened their Olympic campaign with authority, blanking Czechia 5-0 in a masterclass of team hockey.
Macklin Celebrini, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nick Suzuki all scored, while Connor McDavid added three assists and Jordan Binnington made 26 saves for a flawless shutout—his first in Olympic competition—sending a clear message: Team Canada is here for gold.
Czechia was held scoreless, but Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál did his best, turning aside 31 of 36 shots.
First Period
Just 2:05 into the opening frame, Lukáš Sedlák was called for holding against McDavid, seemingly in retaliation for earlier contact. The infraction handed Canada its first power play.
A few minutes later, MacKinnon surged through the neutral zone and fed Suzuki, who unleashed a quick shot that was stopped by Dostál. Seconds later, MacKinnon tucked in a return feed—but Suzuki’s stick had tangled with Jan Rutta’s skates, tripping the defenseman. The goal was waved off, and Canada found itself shorthanded as Czechia went on the power play.
Under two minutes remaining, David Kampf, the Canucks forward, thought he had an open net. Binnington, already down on the ice, lunged just enough to make a spectacular save, keeping the game scoreless.
In the dying seconds of the period, Celebrini redirected a feed from Cale Makar under Dostál's glove, giving Canada a 1-0 lead. The frame ended with Horvat bleeding from a high stick, sparking a heated exchange with officials alongside MacKinnon—though no penalty was assessed.
Second Period
Stone made it 2-0 just 6:40 into the second, finishing a perfectly executed play orchestrated by his Vegas Golden Knights teammate, Mitch Marner. About a minute later, a 2-on-1 rush saw McDavid thwarted by Dostál, whose quick glove save denied a rebound opportunity.
The period also featured a punishing hit from Tom Wilson on Radko Gudas, his former Capitals teammate. Gudas absorbed the shoulder into the boards but returned gingerly to the ice.
Canada’s lead swelled to 3-0 with 2:34 remaining. Brad Marchand, spinning to avoid a check, slipped a soft pass to Horvat, who went forehand-backhand around Dostál, adding to the growing deficit.
Third Period
Early in the third, Tomáš Hertl ripped a shot through traffic, but Binnington got a piece with his glove.
Dominik Kubalík was sent off for interference, and Canada made the power play count. McDavid threaded a cross-crease pass to MacKinnon for a tap-in, making it 4-0.
Suzuki capped the scoring nearly six minutes later, redirecting another McDavid feed past Dostál to seal a 5-0 victory.
In the end, it was a perfectly executed opener for Team Canada, with disciplined defense, timely scoring, and elite playmaking on full display, making a resounding statement in Milan.
On Friday, Canada will face Switzerland, while Czechia takes on France.
