Tage Thompson may not be the biggest name or most accomplished star on Team USA, but the 28-year-old forward is seizing his moment in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. He sent his squad into the first intermission with a ton of momentum in their semifinals matchup versus Slovakia.

With less than a minute remaining in the opening period, Thompson received a pass from Jack Eichel in the right corner and immediately fired the puck into the net. Goalie Samuel Hlavaj hardly had any time to react, and before he and his countrymen knew it, the Americans were leading 2-0.

Team USA bombarded Slovakia in the second period, on the strength of two Jack Hughes goals, cruising toward a 6-2 victory and a gold medal clash with Canada. There was an obvious talent disparity on the ice, but chaos has been known to creep into Olympics men's hockey from time to time. Thompson helped the United States gain firm control, and in the process, an extremely confident squad came out for the next 20 minutes of play.

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Although the focus will be on Hughes, Eichel, captain Auston Matthews, the Tkachuk brothers and others, head coach Mike Sullivan will surely trust Thompson to come through in a big spot if the opportunity presents itself. He certainly answered the call in the semis.

The No. 26 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft leads the Buffalo Sabres with 30 goals and 59 points through 57 games played in the 2025-26 NHL campaign. He is a huge reason why the long-tortured franchise is presently in position to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011. Before that objective can be completed, though, Tage Thompson and Team USA will vie for Olympics glory.

He was removed from the game versus Slovakia, but the initial expectation is that he will be able to suit up on Sunday.