The semifinal round of the 2026 Men’s Ice Hockey tournament in Milano Cortina is set for Friday and will feature two New Jersey Devils players.
Simon Nemec (Team Slovakia) and Jack Hughes (Team USA) will go head-to-head in the finals at 3:10 p.m. ET.
They are the only Devils players remaining in the tournament after Team Sweden, Team Switzerland, and Team Germany were eliminated on Wednesday.
As a result, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler, Jacob Markstrom, and Jesper Bratt saw their Olympic runs come to an end.
Jack Hughes played a key role in Team USA’s 2-1 victory over Team Sweden, recording one assist during his 13:14 on the ice.
During this Olympic run, Hughes has scored one goal and added three assists over four games. Team USA’s overtime goal against Devils and Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom secured their spot in the next round.
This season, Hughes has tallied 36 points in 36 games for the Devils.
Meanwhile, Simon Nemec has emerged as a key player for Slovakia.
Nemec logged 21:51 of ice time in Slovakia’s 6-2 quarterfinal win over Germany, helping his team advance to face Team USA.
In the tournament, Nemec has contributed two assists in four games.
He has also tallied 20 points across 43 games this season.
The puck drops at 3:10 p.m. on Friday as the two Devils teammates face off for a shot at Olympic gold.
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