Leon Draisaitl puts on a captain's clinic with three points as Germany steamrolls France in the Olympic qualifiers at Milano Cortina. Tim Stutzle dishes dimes and JJ Peterka buries one, sending the Germans to face Juraj Slafkovsky's Slovakia in the quarters while Columbus' Alexandre Texier logs heavy minutes in a losing effort for the French. These knockout games always bring the NHL stars to the forefront, especially with the league back at the Olympics after a dozen years away.

Alexandre Texier, the lone NHLer on Team France's roster at the Milano Cortina Olympics, opens up about suiting up for his country amid a brutal preliminary round draw. With France scraping by on grit against powerhouses like Canada stacked with McDavid, MacKinnon, and Celebrini, Texier dishes on the challenges of being the odd man out in a group that's punching way above its weight.

The men's hockey tournament at Milano Cortina 2026 shifts into playoff mode after Sunday's prelims wrap-up, and the Canadiens trio of Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen sits pretty with first-round byes for Canada, Slovakia and Finland. Qualification games Tuesday will reveal their quarterfinal foes on Wednesday, while Alexandre Texier and France fight Germany for survival. Habs fans mark your calendars - these NHL stars chase gold with the league's eyes locked on every shift.

Czechia crushes France 6-3 in Olympic men's hockey, but social media unleashes on Alexandre Texier's goose egg amid the thumping. Fans pile on the Blue Jackets forward as his Olympics turn sour, questioning his fit on the big ice. This backlash echoes in NHL circles watching international reps.

France battles back from a two-goal deficit to snag a brief lead against Czechia at Santagiulia Arena, but the Czechs flip the script with four unanswered tallies to claim a 6-3 victory in Milano Cortina 2026. Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier logs heavy minutes yet again without denting the scoresheet, as Les Bleus drop to 0-2 in the preliminary round for the first time since qualifying.

Alexandre Texier shakes off a nagging lower-body injury that sidelined him for Montreal's last three games and jumps right into Olympic action with Team France against Switzerland today. As the lone active NHLer on the roster, this Habs forward carries the weight of being the first to rep an NHL club for France at the Games since the early 2000s. His seven goals and 11 assists this season across stints in Montreal and St.