Each of the Avalanche’s eight Olympic participants scored in the preliminary rounds. Who would’ve thought that Cale Makar would be the last of the group to get one?
Here’s how things stand for each of the Avs’ eight participants, as well as for the Olympics as a whole, as we prepare for the qualifying knockout round, to be played on Tuesday.
Canada
Canada won Group A with ease and secured the top seed in the knockout stages. They began the tournament with an impressive 5-0 shutout victory over Czechia. They then defeated Switzerland 5-1 and France 10-2, finishing 3-0 with a +17 goal differential.
Goalie Jordan Binnington started for Canada against Czechia and France games, while Logan Thompson was in goal for the Switzerland game.
The Canadians will have a bye for the first round of knockouts and will play the winner of No. 8 Czechia and No. 9 Denmark.
Nathan MacKinnon: 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P (1 PPG)
Cale Makar: 3 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P (1 PPG)
Devon Toews: 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P
USA
The Americans also won their group after defeating Germany in the preliminary finale on Sunday. Nelson was a key offensive contributor in the opening game and remained a key shutdown player for the U.S. as the games progressed.
They finished as the No. 2 seed, as Canada won the tiebreaker on goal differential (17-11).
The winner of No. 7 Sweden and No. 10 Latvia will advance to a matchup against USA.
Brock Nelson: 3 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P
Finland
Finland had a brief scare at the start of the tournament after losing to Slovakia. But they bounced back with a crucial win against rival Sweden before defeating France 11-0 to secure second place in Group B. Slovakia won the group, but Finland’s goal differential helped them secure a better opponent in the qualifying playoff.
They finished the preliminaries as the No. 4 seed, behind the three group winners, securing the final bye to the round of eight. Finland will play the winner of No. 5 Switzerland and No. 12 Italy.
Artturi Lehkonen: 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 P
Joel Kiviranta: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
Sweden
Gabe Landeskog and his team are having a disappointing tournament to date. Much of it stems from coaching decisions by head coach Sam Hallam.
Sweden finished third in their group behind both Slovakia and Finland. They could’ve won the group had it not been for a last-minute goal from the Slovaks in a game that Sweden won 5-3.
As a result of finishing third in their group, the Swedes will face No. 10 Latvia, with the winner advancing to a matchup against Team USA.
Gabriel Landeskog: 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P (1 PPG)
Czechia
Like Sweden, the Czechs were disappointed with their preliminary-round finish. After falling to Switzerland in OT in the third of their three games, Czechia secured the third seed in Group A and a preliminary knockout-round matchup against No. 9 Denmark. The winner will play Canada.
Martin Necas: 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P (1 PPG)
Full Knockout Round Bracket
2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey Playoff Bracket
Quarterfinals on Wed. Feb. 18:
1. CAN 🇨🇦 vs. Winner CZE 🇨🇿/ DEN 🇩🇰
2. USA 🇺🇸 vs. Winner SWE 🇸🇪 / LAT 🇱🇻
3. SVK 🇸🇰 vs. Winner GER 🇩🇪 / FRA 🇫🇷
4. FIN 🇫🇮 vs. Winner SUI 🇨🇭 / ITA 🇮🇹
Semifinals (Feb. 20) then re-seed based on these standings:… pic.twitter.com/D97kG4NSAf
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 15, 2026
