The Daily: Larkin’ Medal Quest Continues Today; Augustine Wins Another

Dylan Larkin is back on the ice, looking to help the Americans win their first men’s Olympic hockey gold since the Miracle on Ice occurred in Lake Placid 46 years ago.

The Americans take on the surprising Slovakia team at 3:10 p.m (Peacock, USA) for the right to play in Sunday’s gold medal game. Canada takes on Finland (Peacock, NBC) in the other semifinal at 10:30. Sidney Crosby is listed as day-to-day for Canada, meaning there is a slight chance he could play today. The losers of these games will play in the bronze medal game on Saturday.

The Americans haven’t won a medal in men’s hockey since 2010, when they went home with a silver after losing to Canada in the gold medal game

Unlike the unbeaten Americans, Slovakia has lost in the tournament. The Slovaks fell 5-3 to Lucas Raymond’s Swedish team. However, the Slovaks ended up with the higher seed because of goal differential. Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky is leading the Slovaks with three goals and four assists. He’s tied for fifth among tournament scorers. New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec is also earning top marks for his play. Former Red Wings player Tomas Tatar also plays for Slovakia. He is their captain.

Meanwhile, Larkin has continued to garner considerable attention for his role as the team’s top role player and key faceoff man. It’s clear Larkin is highly respected among his teammates and coaches.

Tarik Skubal showing support for Dylan Larkin & Quinn Hughes on Instagram after team USA’s win against Sweden today 🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/xx2dloihic

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) February 19, 2026

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond will rejoin Red Wings practice next week.

Grand Rapids Griffins goalie Sebastian Cossa has raised his record to 22-4-2.

Paywall story: Eduards Tralmaks was Latvia’s leading scorer at the Olympics. Does he deserve an NHL opportunity?

Red Wings Extra

Goalie prospect Trey Augustine (41st, 2023) made a season-high 37 saves to help Michigan State down Notre Dame 4-2. Augustine’s record is 21-6-4. His goals-against average is 1.96. The Red Wings expect to sign Augustine after the NCAA playoffs. If the Spartans go to the championship game, he will be busy until April 11.  Michigan State is ranked No. 1.

Hockey Now Digest

Boston: The Bruins reportedly are pursuing defenseman Justin Faulk. The Detroit Red Wings reportedly are also in on Faulk. Boston Bruins. 

Florida: George Richards explains where the Panthers stand as they prepare to resume the season in a week. Florida Panthers. 

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby’s injury isn’t as bad as originally feared. He’s listed as day-to-day at the Olympics.  Pittsburgh Penguins.

San Jose: Sheng Peng offers a list of the six defenseman the San Jose Sharks should be targeting in trade talks. San Jose Sharks.