Sidney Crosby’s message on Nathan MacKinnon missing open net opportunity against USA

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Canada left Italy with silver after a 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in the 2026 Winter Olympics final.

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They played really well in the tournament, but one particular moment might haunt the team for a long. It could have been a turning point for Canada that came in the third period when Nathan MacKinnon found space with the net open. It was the kind of chance he buries most nights, but he missed it this time.

The game stayed 1-1, and they had to go into overtime.

Sidney Crosby did not point to that play when he faced reporters. He stood beside his teammate and shared the blame.

“We all feel that way,” Crosby said. “Being close to him, knowing what he puts into it, what it means to him…It means so much to everybody in that room,”

“It’s not about that one play. We had so many opportunities, we did so many good things. We played the right way, and we played the way we knew [that] it was gonna give us success. Unfortunately, in one game, anything can happen.”

MacKinnon had 4 goals and 7 points in the tournament. Speaking to the media, he did not hide from the moment, where he missed.

“The looks we had we would have taken any day,” MacKinnon said. “I missed an open net & really wish I could have that one back. What a great group of guys. We definitely tilted that game, but I don’t know, we just, we had to score & we couldn’t score.”

The game opened with an early strike from the United States. At 6:00 of the first, Matt Boldy split the defense and beat Jordan Binnington on the backhand. Canada answered late in the second when Cale Makar scored to tie it 1-1.

The third period was dominated by Canada’s offense and Connor Hellebuyck’s goaltending. He was a wall, protecting the puck from going into the net. He even denied Connor McDavid a scoring chance.

No one scored in the third period, and later overtime settled it. Jack Hughes took a pass from Zach Werenski and scored at 1:41. The United States earned gold, while Canada saw its run end one goal short.

MacKinnon expressed disappointment for Canada’s loss to USA

Speaking about the loss, MacKinnon expressed his disappointment. He is the best scorer in the NHL this season with 40 goals, but his team missed the golden opportunity, even when they were close. It was MacKinnon’s first Olympic tournament.

“Just sad, just disappointed,” MacKinnon said. “It just sucks. It’s a lot bigger than your club team. It’s your country & it’s every four years, so it’s going to be a long time before we get to try to win this one back & it will be a completely different team too, so it just suck.s”

Canada was unbeaten going into the gold medal game. They opened the tournament with wins over Czechia, Switzerland, and France, then edged Czechia and Finland in the knockout round.

The group played well, but that miss will linger for a while.

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