It’s the newest installment of the biggest rivalry in women’s hockey. It won’t be for a medal — that will likey come next week — but the USA and Canada will square-off this afternoon at 2:10 p.m. ET in the Preliminary Round of Group A.
Despite this almost being a tune-up for the eventual gold medal clash, this is surely a matchup that both teams have had circled on their calendars since the Olympic schedule dropped.
Let’s break down everything you need to know.
Canada vs. USA History
Women’s hockey was added to the Winter Olympics in 1998 and the USA took home the first gold. Since then, it’s been dominance from the Canadian side, with Canada defeating the Americans in the gold medal game in Salt Lake City, Turin, Vancouver, Sochi and Beijing. The USA’s lone win this century came in 2018 in Pyeongchang.
All that said, the recent momentum seems to be in the USA’s favor. The States took down Canada in OT at the final of the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, then absolutely dominated the Rivalry Series in November and December, winning all four games by a combined score of 24-7.
How has each country fared so far in the the 2026 Olympics?
As expected, both the USA and Canada have cake-walked through their early preliminary matchups. The USA beat Czechia 5-1 to open the tournament, and that’s the lone goal that the Americans have allowed through three contests. They’ve also dispatched of Finland and Switzerland without breaking a sweat.
Canada’s path to Tuesday’s face-off has been a little more bumpy — though not because of any results on the ice. Canada’s opening matchup with Finland was postponed due to a virus on the Finnish team, which meant Canada didn’t play a game until Saturday, when it shutout Switzerland 4-0. It certainly didn’t appear like the Canadians had any rust, as they out-shot the Swiss 55-6 in what was a completely one-sided affair. Like the USA, Canada also played on Monday, besting Czechia 5-1, so both teams might have some tired legs on the second day of a back-to-back.
Through three games, Alex Carpenter leads the USA in scoring with five points, while Julia Gosling has netted three goals for Canada in the team’s two contests.
USA vs. Canada Best Bet, Odds
On the DraftKings Sportsbook, the USA are heavy favorites in this game at -210. That might seem extreme given the history of the Canadian women at this Olympic event, but you’d have to imagine the Americans’ mastery of the Rivalry Series looms large in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Also looming large is the status of Canada’s captain Marie-Philip Poulin. “Captain Clutch” is the reigning IIHF Female Player of the Year and Poulin has scored the game-winning gold medal goal against the USA in 2010, 2014 and 2022. She’s also the reigning MVP and top goal scorer in the PWHL. Needless to say, Poulin is a rather important figure in the Canadian dressing room. However, Poulin has been ruled out for Tuesday’s tilt after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period versus Czechia. I’d have to assume that the USA takes advantage of her absence.
