Sweden, FEB 19 /DNA/ Quinn Hughes emerges as the hero for Team USA after a nail-biting quarterfinal showdown against Sweden on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
With 6 minutes and 33 seconds left in overtime of Wednesday’s Olympic quarterfinal, defenseman Hughes took a slapshot that passed Sweden goaltender Jacob Markström.
The fired puck found its way back of the net for a 2-1 triumph and a buzzing surprise win for the USA.
The No. 2 seed U.S. men’s hockey team now faces No. 3 seed Slovakia in this coming Friday’s semifinal round on February 20, 2026.
Just before that, the archrival Canada who has been unbeaten so far plays Finland in the second semifinal.
Even when the U.S. scored a tying goal against Sweden, even the most seasoned players were nervous, as there were only 91 seconds left in the quarterfinal game of men’s hockey at 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Quinn Hughes scored in overtime to help the U.S. clinch victory from Sweden 2-1 after Mika Zibanejad scored to draw even before the buzzer.
Contributing to the victory is Team USA’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced in net.
Excited over the win, Hughes commented about Slovakia, saying, “It’s gonna be an extremely hard test. They have been rolling. They’re competitive. They’re fast.”
Spotlighting the win-or-go-home stakes for the next two matches, Hughes added, “Doesn’t matter how many superstars you have, just the desperation level’s so high. It’s Game 7 every night now.”
