Canada entered the elimination stage as the No. 1 seed, winning all three round‑robin games with a +17 goal differential. The team looked unbeatable until a quarterfinal loss to Czechia highlighted vulnerabilities.
With Sidney Crosby sidelined, coach Jon Cooper shifted Nathan MacKinnon to the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Celebrini. The move aims to keep Canada competitive and maximize MacKinnon’s impact as the team pushes for gold.