The 2026 Winter Olympics haven't offered the most thrilling hockey moments so far. It would've been hard for the tournament to live up to the expectations of the first best-on-best edition since 2014. However, Wednesday's four quarterfinal matchups did they best they could with the final three games going to overtime. Some Boston Bruins representatives emerged victorious and some are going home, and that isn't the worst thing for fans.
The first game saw Slovakia demolish Germany in a surprising result that many expected to be closer than it was, but the next three games saw Canada, Finland, and the USA win in overtime, with Czechia, Switzerland, and Sweden heading home. Henri Jokiharju, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman are moving on, while David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, and Elias Lindholm will be heading back to Boston early.
Canada 4 - Czechia 3
Pastrnak was the first Bruins representative to play on Wednesday, and he took a beating while trying to put the Czechs on his back to beat Canada. His team held a lead until the final minutes, before Nick Suzuki tied the game and Mitch Marner scored the winner in overtime. It was heartbreaking as a fan of the player to see his disappointment on the bench, but getting him home for some extra rest will serve Boston well moving forward.
Finland 3 - Switzerland 2
The Bruins nearly got really lucky and also had Jokiharju and Korpisalo coming home with the others. Switzerland held a 2-0 lead in the third period and looked in control of the game, but the Finns rallied back. Korpisalo hasn't played yet this tournament and won't with Juuse Saros being in control of the net, while Jokiharju played less than 10 minutes in each Finland game.
USA 2 - Sweden 1
Hampus Lindholm finally got some icetime after a shocking injury to Victor Hedman in warmup. He dressed for two prior games in the tournament and sat on the bench for the duration, but gave Sweden 15:48 of solid icetime to leave his mark on the tournament, despite the team losing to McAvoy and Swayman.
Elias Lindholm ended the tournament on the fourth line after sitting one game. He could still be battling the injury that kept him out before the break, and not having to play two games in the medal round will be music to the ears of the Bruins' front office.
A bubbleless McAvoy is now the last remaining Bruin to watch through clenched teeth for the rest of the Olympics. He was a physical force in the Sweden win, and it's unlikely that he will ease off at any point over the next two games.
With the players who are already out of the tournament, the Bruins avoided any major injuries. That contingent will now get eight days to rest and refresh before making a playoff push. Even though you care about the players and want to see them succeed, the silver lining is that some of the team's top weapons will get some extra time to prepare.