The United States looks to clinch a chance to play for the gold medal when they take on Slovakia in the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament on Friday.
The Americans outlasted Sweden in a 2-1 overtime win in the quarterfinals, while Slovakia cruised to a 6-2 win against Germany. Now the two teams will face off at 3:10 p.m. ET from Milano Santagiulia Ice Arena in Milan, Italy, with the game available to watch on USA Network and streaming on Peacock.
Below, we'll break down our United States vs. Slovakia prediction and Olympic hockey picks for Friday’s semifinal showdown. Make your hockey picks during the Winter Olympics on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on hockey winners, spreads, and medal winner predictions.
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United States vs. Slovakia Prediction, Olympic Hockey Picks
Following a win in the quarterfinal round, the United States has the second-best odds to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey, with a 2.04x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks as of this writing. Canada currently owns a 1.88x payout to win the gold medal.
The United States earned its spot in Friday’s semifinal matchup with a hard-fought 2-1 overtime win against Sweden in the quarterfinals. In Wednesday’s game, the Americans were able to grab a 1-0 lead midway through the second period on a goal from Detroit Red Wings C Dylan Larkin.
However, Sweden wouldn’t go quietly, as New York Rangers C Mika Zibanejad ripped a one-timer past United States G Connor Hellebuyck at the 18:29 mark of the third period. That goal ended up forcing overtime.
Luckily for the United States, they wouldn’t have to wait long for someone to play the role of hero. In the three-on-three format, Minnesota Wild D Quinn Hughes skated his way into the slot and snapped a shot past G Jacob Markstrom to win the game.
The game-winning goal capped off an impressive performance for the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, who also registered an assist on Larkin’s goal.
Meanwhile, Slovakia clinched its semifinal berth in less dramatic fashion. The Slovaks raced out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and never looked back in a 6-2 win against Germany in the quarterfinals.
RW Pavol Regenda paced Slovakia with two goals and an assist, including netting the game’s opening tally. Regenda had been held scoreless prior to the quarterfinals.
The United States will be looking to win its first gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” triumph at Lake Placid at the 1980 Winter Olympics. In addition, the Americans have only medaled in two of the last 11 Winter Olympics, earning silver medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Slovakia earned its first medal when it won bronze at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
While the United States is just behind Canada in winning gold on PrizePicks, Slovakia is considered a long shot to even reach the podium in men's hockey, with a 33.33x payout to win the gold medal.
United States vs. Slovakia Prediction on Spread for Olympic Hockey Today
Here are some Olympic hockey stats to help you make your United States vs. Slovakia prediction on Friday, February 20, in the 2026 Winter Olympics. As of writing, the United States to win by 2.5 goals pays out at 1.66x on Team Picks.
- The United States has averaged 4.5 goals per game throughout the Winter Olympics.
- United States G Connor Hellebuyck leads all Olympic goaltenders in goal-against-average (0.98) and save percentage (.957) across his three games. Hellebuyck has the second-highest odds to win the Olympic Men’s Hockey MVP, with a 5x payout on PrizePicks.
- Hellebuyck stopped 28 of the 29 shots that he faced vs. Sweden in the quarterfinals.
- The United States currently owns the second-best power-play at the Winter Games, converting 33.3% (3-of-9) of its opportunities on the man advantage.
- On the other hand, Slovakia is killing off 82.35% of its penalties, ranking fourth out of the 12 Olympic teams.
- Slovakia C Dalibor Dvorsky is tied for third in goals (3) among all Olympic skaters. Dvorsky, a 2023 first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, has recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in four games.
- United States D Quinn Hughes leads all Olympic defensemen in points (6) with a goal and 5 assists in four games. Hughes has tallied at least 1 point in every game thus far.
- Slovakia has averaged 4.0 goals per contest during the Winter Olympics, with a +6 goal differential.
United States vs. Slovakia Picks for Olympic Hockey for PrizePicks Today
Here are the top United States vs. Slovakia picks to target in the men's hockey semifinal for Friday, February 20, on PrizePicks Player Picks. Our top player picks to target for goals and points on PrizePicks are headlined by United States C Auston Matthews and Slovakia LW Juraj Slafkovsky.
United States C Auston Matthews: 0.5 Points
- The United States captain is tied for fifth in points (6) as he’s registered 3 goals and 3 assists.
- Matthews has tallied at least 1 point in all four of his games in Milan.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs star centers the United States’ second line with Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy skating on the wings, per Daily Faceoff.
- Matthews recorded a secondary assist on D Quinn Hughes’ game-winning overtime goal vs. Sweden in the quarterfinal.
Slovakia LW Juraj Slafkovsky: 3.5 Shots On Goal
- The Montreal Canadiens star is tied for fourth in points (7) with 3 goals and 4 assists in the Winter Olympics.
- Slafkovsky has averaged 5.0 shots on goal per game in four games during the Winter Olympics.
- The 2022 first-overall pick has tallied at least 4 shots on goal in all four contests at the Winter Games. Slafkovsky racked up 5 shots on goal in Slovakia’s 6-2 quarterfinal win vs. Germany.
- Per Daily Faceoff, Slafkovsky is playing on Slovakia’s top line, while also skating on the first power-play unit.
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Make United States vs. Slovakia Olympic Picks on PrizePicks
With both Olympic men’s hockey semifinal matchups taking place on Friday, hockey fans will certainly be locked in on the United States vs. Slovakia to see who clinches a spot in the Gold Medal Game.
Canada is the current gold medal favorite on PrizePicks, boasting a loaded roster of NHL superstars, including three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid and second-year standout Macklin Celebrini.
You can make your Olympic hockey picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make your predictions on winners, spreads, and gold medal winners, now available in 34 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued Olympic predictions, picks, and news.
