Binnington Lifts Team Canada To A Shutout Victory Against Czechia
Written By Josie Dinonsie
MILAN — In Canada’s first game of the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament, goaltender Jordan Binnington delivered a dominant performance, stopping all 26 shots he faced in a 5-0 victory over Czechia.
Canada’s offense was just as sharp, featuring five different goal scorers, including rookie Macklin Celebrini, who opened the scoring. With the decisive win, Canada established itself early as a strong contender for the gold medal.
Canada coach Jon Cooper emphasized his confidence in Binnington when explaining his decision to start him over Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper.
"I have the utmost confidence in that kid,” Cooper said. “He’s proven it even when he stumbles. When push comes to shove, the kid’s been there for us,”
The opening period was tightly contested, with both teams generating quality scoring chances. Czechia nearly broke through with 1:53 remaining in the first period when David Kämpf had a prime opportunity, but Binnington made the save, one of 26 during the night.
Canada went on a power play later in the period, but Czechia’s penalty kill held firm despite facing a unit stacked with NHL stars.
With five seconds left in the first period, Celebrini tipped in a shot from Cale Makar to give Canada a 1-0 lead.
Canada extended its lead midway through the second period. Mark Stone capitalized on a cross-crease, airborne pass from Mitch Marner that sailed over a sliding David Špaček, who was attempting to block the play.
Bo Horvat made it 3-0 late in the second period, scoring on a breakaway against Czech goaltender Lukáš Dostál. Brad Marchand initiated the play with a give-and-go near the red line, and Horvat beat two defenders before finishing.
Nathan MacKinnon pushed the lead to 4-0 at the 7:42 mark of the third period with a power-play goal assisted by Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby.
The trio, widely regarded among the NHL’s elite, each recorded at least one point. McDavid had three assists, Crosby added two assists, and MacKinnon scored once.
Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki sealed the victory with a tip-in goal with just over six minutes remaining.
Beyond the offensive production, Binnington continued his strong international play. Dating back to last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where he helped lead Canada to a championship, he has won his last three starts in international competition.
Binnington’s teammate with both Canada and the St. Louis Blues, Colton Parayko, praised his performance.
“Obviously, a great game, a lot of big saves.” Parayko said. “We’re fortunate in St. Louis to have him as our goalie. He keeps us in every game and gives us a chance every night.”
MacKinnon also credited Binnington’s impact.
“He was awesome,” MacKinnon said. “Made some big saves. Obviously, I missed my guy's back door, and he made a huge save there to keep it 0-0. Amazing save.”
“They had some good looks in the first, and it would have been a different game without ‘Binner.’”
Binnington became the fourth goaltender in Olympic history to record a shutout in a tournament featuring NHL players.
