Connor McDavid continues to roll with a goal and two assists. A potent new line with MacKinnon and Celebrini displays electrifying chemistry in a dominant Canadian victory.
Connor McDavid continued his dominant start at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, recording a goal and two assists in Canada’s 5-1 win over Switzerland, giving him six points in two games.
Not only is McDavid rolling, but the new line that seems to have formed that puts McDavid with Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini appears to have elite chemistry.
McDavid opened the scoring with a slick finish off a cross-ice pass from Nathan MacKinnon. scoring his first Olympic goal on the power play. He later set up Thomas Harley with a perfectly placed saucer pass to get his second point in the first period.
He scored a third assist on a MacKinnon goal when Celebrini, who was coming out of the penalty box, chased down a loose puck on the forecheck. He made a nice touch pass to McDavid, who tried a pull move, and MacKinnon was there to pick up the loose change.
McDavid had another three points, a goal and two assists. Photo by © Geoff Burke Imagn ImagesBeyond doing what many expected he might do offensively, McDavid is making a statement physically. After Switzerland’s Pius Suter scored to make it 2-1, McDavid delivered a thunderous shoulder check on defenseman Andrea Glauser, forcing him off the ice. It was the second big hit delivered by McDavid in the tournament, something he hasn't done a lot of in the NHL this season.
The hit energized Canada and the Oilers can only hope this kind of play carries over into NHL games coming out of the break. More importantly, players on the Oilers who are supposed to hit see what he's doing in a less physical tournament and follow his lead.
McDavid skated with MacKinnon and Celebrini, with Tom Wilson being removed from that top line and MacKinnon becoming a winger. The trio was effective all evening, and it will be interesting to see whether head coach Jon Cooper returns to that group. Through two games, that trio has five goals and eight assists, for 13 points.
Celebrini continues to play well, getting his second goal in his second Olympic appearance.
With Canada perfect 2-0 through the preliminary round, McDavid’s combination of playmaking, scoring, and physical play is positioning him as a key driver of Team Canada’s momentum heading into the knockout rounds.
Meanwhile, according to Chris Johnston, McDavid is the first player ever to record six points in two games to open an Olympics with NHL participation. He noted that Marian Hossa (Slovakia, 2006) and Teemu Selanne (Finland, 2006) previously had five..
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