Eight Boston Bruins players will compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics taking place in Milan-Cortina, beginning this Wednesday. This group originally included nine Bruins but was trimmed to eight for the tournament, showcasing the strong presence of Boston Bruins Olympic players across various national teams.
The Bruins rank fourth in the number of players participating, behind the Florida Panthers with ten, and Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning, each sending nine players to the games.
Bruins Players Participating in the Winter Games by Country
Several Boston Bruins athletes will represent different nations in the upcoming Olympic hockey tournament. On Team USA, Jeremy Swayman will start as goalie, supported by defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Team Czechia will feature forward David Pastrnak, while Team Sweden includes forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Two Bruins will skate for Team Finland: goalie Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Additionally, prospect Dans Locmelis, currently with the Providence Bruins in the AHL, will represent Latvia.
Notably absent is forward Pavel Zacha, who was ruled out due to an injury sustained last month in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Schedule of Preliminary Round Matches
The preliminary round of the tournament is packed with games scheduled from Wednesday through Sunday, all listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST) and available for streaming on platforms like Peacock, USA Network, CNC, and NBC.
Wednesday’s games open with Slovakia facing Finland at 10:30 a.m., followed by Sweden versus Italy at 3 p.m. Thursday features four matches, including the Czechia-Canada and Latvia-USA showdowns scheduled for late morning and afternoon. Friday and Saturday continue with crucial matchups such as Finland against Sweden and USA taking on Denmark. Sunday closes the round with Switzerland against Czechia and the USA versus Germany.
Details on Medal Rounds and Tournament Scoring
The qualification round matches are set for Tuesday, February 17, leading into the quarterfinals on February 18. Semifinal contests will be held on February 20, followed by the bronze medal game on February 21. The gold medal game is scheduled for February 22 at 8:10 a.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC.
The preliminary round uses a point system differing from the NHL: teams earn three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime or shootout win, and one point for an overtime or shootout loss. This system creates a different dynamic in ranking teams throughout the tournament.
