The greatest rivalry in women’s sports returns to the ultimate stage. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Canada and the United States will meet in the gold medal game of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
This matchup marks the 7th time in 8 Olympic tournaments that these two nations have battled for gold. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the puck drop.
Game Info & How to Watch
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 19:10 CET (Local) / 1:10 PM ET / 10:10 AM PT
Venue: Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
Broadcast: USA Network/Peacock (USA), CBC/TSN (Canada)
The State of the Rivalry
While Canada enters as the defending Olympic champion (Beijing 2022), the United States arrives as the heavy favorite based on recent form.
Preliminary Statement: In their group-stage meeting on February 10, the U.S. delivered a historic 5-0 shutout against Canada. It was the largest margin of victory in their Olympic history and the first time Canada has ever been shut out in an Olympic game.
The “Poulin Factor”: Canada played that preliminary loss without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who was sidelined with an injury. She returned for the playoffs and recently became the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer (20 goals) during Canada’s 2-1 semifinal win over Switzerland.
U.S. Dominance: The Americans have been flawless, outscoring opponents 31-1 through six games. They are currently on a record-breaking shutout streak of over 331 minutes, led by goaltender Aerin Frankel, who has three shutouts in this tournament alone.
Clash of the titans
Players to Watch
| Team | Player | Why They Matter |
| USA | Aerin Frankel | Has allowed only one goal all tournament; the backbone of the U.S. defense. |
| USA | Caroline Harvey | The tournament’s top-scoring defenseman; elite at transition and power-play puck movement. |
| CAN | Marie-Philip Poulin | Known as “Captain Clutch” for scoring in four different Olympic gold medal games. |
| CAN | Anne-Renée Desbiens | Will need a legendary performance to match the U.S. fire-power and keep Canada in the game. |
Historical Context
Olympic Gold Medals: Canada (5), USA (2).
Recent History: The U.S. has won seven straight games against Canada dating back to the 2025 World Championships.
The Streak: The only time these two did not meet in the final was 2006—also held in Italy—when Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals.
The Bottom Line: The U.S. looks invincible, but Canada specializes in winning the one game that matters most. With Poulin back in the lineup and the “underdog” tag firmly on their backs, the Canadians will be looking to spoil the American’s perfect run.
Based on recent performances in the preliminary rounds and the semifinals in Milan, here are the projected starting lineups and line combinations for the gold medal game.
The big news for Canada is the return of Marie-Philip Poulin to the top unit after she missed time earlier in the tournament. For the U.S., they are expected to stick with the “Minnesota Line” and the dominant goaltending of Aerin Frankel.
Team Canada Projected Lineup
Head Coach Troy Ryan has leaned into veteran experience while rewarding the scoring touch of newcomer Daryl Watts.
| Unit | Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Line 1 | Emma Maltais | Marie-Philip Poulin | Natalie Spooner |
| Line 2 | Daryl Watts | Sarah Nurse | Sarah Fillier |
| Line 3 | Emily Clark | Blayre Turnbull | Laura Stacey |
| Line 4 | Julia Gosling | Kristin O’Neill | Brianne Jenner |
| Defense Pairings | Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Pair 1 | Jocelyne Larocque | Renata Fast |
| Pair 2 | Ella Shelton | Erin Ambrose |
| Pair 3 | Claire Thompson | Sophie Jaques |
Starting Goaltender: Ann-Renée Desbiens (Confirmed as the primary starter for medal games).
Team USA Projected Lineup
Coach John Wroblewski has kept his forward lines remarkably consistent throughout their record-breaking shutout streak.
| Unit | Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Line 1 | Alex Carpenter | Tessa Janecke | Hilary Knight |
| Line 2 | Kendall Coyne Schofield | Taylor Heise | Abbey Murphy |
| Line 3 | Hannah Bilka | Kelly Pannek | Grace Zumwinkle |
| Line 4 | Joy Dunne | Kirsten Simms | Britta Curl-Salemme |
| Defense Pairings | Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Pair 1 | Megan Keller | Laila Edwards |
| Pair 2 | Caroline Harvey | Haley Winn |
| Pair 3 | Lee Stecklein | Cayla Barnes |
Starting Goaltender: Aerin Frankel (Currently on a historic Olympic shutout streak).
Lineup Notes to Watch
The Goalie Duel: This game features a battle between the veteran Desbiens, who has been in this pressure cooker many times, and Frankel, who has been mathematically the best goalie in the world over the last two weeks.
Canada’s “Bottom Six”: Interestingly, Canada’s 4th line (O’Neill, Jenner, Gosling) has been more productive than their top lines at times during this tournament. Watch for them to get extra shifts if the top guns are neutralized early.
U.S. Blue Line Offense: Unlike Canada, the U.S. gets a massive portion of its scoring from the defense, specifically Caroline Harvey. Canada will likely task the Turnbull/Stacey line with shadowing her to prevent clean breakouts.
