There was little doubt about the outcome from the outset. Dylan Larkin set the tone early, opening the scoring in the first period with his second goal of the Games, before Tage Thompson doubled the advantage with just 41 seconds remaining in the frame. Slovakia, wasteful on the power play, failed to make their chances count and trailed 2–0 at the interval.
If there had been any lingering hope of a Slovakian resurgence, it was extinguished in a ruthless second period. The Americans struck three times, with Jack Hughes extending the lead before Jack Eichel added a fourth via a deft backhand finish. Hughes then struck again to make it 5–0, capping a dominant spell in which the United States overwhelmed their opponents in both pace and precision.
By the start of the third period, the Americans had outshot Slovakia 26–13 and effectively settled the contest. Slovakia eventually found a consolation through Juraj Slafkovský, who finished the tournament as his country’s leading scorer, but any faint momentum was quickly checked when Brady Tkachuk restored the five-goal cushion on the breakaway.
A late goal from Pavol Regenda added a measure of respectability to the scoreline, though it did little to disguise the gulf between the sides. Slovakia’s failure to convert any of their five power-play opportunities proved particularly costly.
Attention now turns to a familiar and fiercely contested rivalry. The United States will meet Canada in Sunday’s final, a repeat of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off decider, in which the Canadians prevailed 3–2 after overtime.