Canada entered the elimination stage as the No. 1 seed, winning all three round‑robin games with a +17 goal differential. The quarterfinal against Czechia exposed vulnerabilities when Sidney Crosby was sidelined, forcing Coach Jon Cooper to reconfigure the lineup.
Cooper moved Nathan MacKinnon up to the top line to play alongside Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini, hoping MacKinnon's experience and scoring touch will keep Canada competitive as they chase Olympic gold.