2026 Olympic Games: U.S. dominates Canada with 5-0 win in women's hockey

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Despite starting the third period with a power play and pressing hard in the final minutes of the game, Canada couldn't claw back the Americans' significant lead.

This game marks the first women's Olympic hockey game where three Black hockey players hit the ice at the same time: Edwards, Jacques and Nurse. 

Edwards, a defender from Wisconsin, is the first Black women's hockey player to represent the U.S. At the Olympics.

Edwards scores a screamer for the Americans. 

That'll do it for Desbiens, who is relieved in net by Emerance Maschmeyer.

This is the fifth power play of the game for the U.S., one of which has ended in the goal from Simms. Another shot has rung off the post, but Canada cleared the puck to centre.

We heard from assistant captain Jocelyne Larocque at the intermission, talking to Claire Hanna about what Canada needs to do better in the third. 

“A big thing is keeping our feet moving, establishing a forecheck,” the defender said. “I found when we got pucks deep and we were on them, we were able to create those turnovers. 

"I think we need a little bit more poise with the puck once we create those turnovers. These games, it's about focusing on what's going well but also focusing on what we need to tweak.”

Since women’s hockey was introduced at Nagano 1998, Canada has only lost one preliminary round game in the Olympics. That was a 7-4 loss to the Americans in 1998.

Over the previous seven tournaments, Canada has only lost three games in total, all to the Americans: both that preliminary round game and the final in 1998, and the final in 2018 in a shootout.

Canada will start the third period on the power play, after Taylor Heise went off for an illegal hit on Daryl Watts.

It’s an opportunity Canada will need to seize if there’s any hope of climbing back into this game. Canada didn’t muster any kind of solid opportunities on its only other power play of the game.

The U.S. Is outshooting Canada 22-10 over 40 minutes of play.

To put today’s game into context, Canadian goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens hasn’t allowed more than two goals in any PWHL game so far this season.

The last time it happened was in March 2025, when she allowed three goals against New York.

She did give up more than five goals on average over two starts against the U.S. In the Rivalry Series earlier this season.

But this doesn’t lie solely on Desbiens' shoulders. Canada has given up too many opportunities in dangerous parts of the ice.

Things just got worse for the Canadians. Murphy fed Bilka, again, in front of the Canadian net. We’re at 4-0 with six minutes remaining in the second period.

Canada has been giving the U.S. Way too much room to operate in front of their net. Meanwhile, they’ve been smothering nearly every Canadian attempt to get even remotely close to the slot.

That’s three assists so far for Murphy.

The Canadians just killed yet another penalty drawn by Murphy.

It’s the fifth penalty Canada has taken today — four if you subtract the one for Canada’s unsuccessful challenge on the last goal. That was a major issue at the Rivalry Series, where the U.S. Swept Canada over four games this season.

Canada hasn’t been able to generate anything meaningful at even strength. But staying out of the box would certainly help.

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