Olympic Hockey Results 2018: Thursday's Scores and Top Highlights

Thursday was a fantastic day at the Pyeongchang Games for hockey fans, with a number of men's teams making their debut and the much-anticipated showdown between the United States and Canada in pool play going down as well.

Below, we'll break down all the day's action.

Men's Tournament

Finland beats Germany, 5-2

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The Finnish men were clinical with their chances on Thursday, scoring five goals on just 20 shots in a 5-2 win over Germany. 

Finland's Eeli Tolvanen, an NHL prospect, was superb, leading the way with a goal and three assists.

"The young kid was awesome, he was leading the way," Finnish captain Lasse Kukkonen said of Tolvanen, per Jennifer Hoffman of NBCOlympics.com. "It is always exciting to see young players coming up and taking the next step."

Sami Lepisto, Mika Pyorala, Lasse Kukkonen and Jonas Kemppainen also scored for Finland.

Sweden beats Norway, 4-0

Swedish goaltender Viktor Fasth pitched a shutout on Thursday, stopping all 17 shots he faced from Norway en route to a 4-0 win.

Par Lindholm, Anton Lander, Dennis Everberg and Mikael Wikstrand all scored for Sweden in the dominant win. 

Czech Republic beats Republic of Korea, 2-1

Cho Min-ho's early goal for the underdog Koreans nearly inspired a remarkable upset that would have sent the host nation into a frenzy. Instead, the favored Czech Republic answered, coming away with a tight 2-1 win that left little doubt the Koreans belonged in this tournament.

Jan Kovar and Michal Repik had immediate answers to Korea's early tally, notching first-period scores of their own. From there, the Czechs held on for the win, with the Koreans scrapping late but unable to find an equalizing tally.

Canada beats Switzerland, 5-1

The Canadians opened their Pyeongchang Games with a decisive 5-1 victory over Switzerland.

Rene Bourque and Wojtek Wolski were the stars for Team Canada, registering two goals apiece, while Maxim Noreau also scored and Derek Roy notched three assists.

With the United States and Olympic Athletes of Russia losing on Wednesday, Canada's victory was hardly assured on Thursday in a tournament that has already been turned on its head.

And Switzerland was hardly a pushover, outshooting the Canadians, 29-28. Canada was far more clinical in its finishing, however, a trait shared by the women's team in its crucial win earlier in the day.

Women's Tournament

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Canada beats United States, 2-1

In the biggest matchup of the day, Canada once again bested the United States, 2-1, despite being outshot 45-23 in the contest.

"We buried the chances we had," Canadien forward Meghan Agosta said, per Dan Wolken of USA Today. "Do I think we have another level? Of course."

Agosta and Sarah Nurse each scored for Canada, while Genevieve Lacasse registered 44 saves in an impressive showing, holding strong as the United States peppered her net late in the game. Kendall Coyne scored the long goal for the United States.

The Americans weren't without their chances. Hilary Knight couldn't capitalize on a breakaway in the first period, while the United States had a penalty in the second period, though Jocelyne Lamoureux's effort was denied.

The result likely won't matter in the long run, as both teams are prohibitive favorites to meet in the gold-medal game. But the mental edge goes to a Canadian side that has won the past four gold medals. 

Canada now awaits the winner of Finland vs. Sweden in the semifinals, while the United States await the winner of Switzerland vs. the Olympic Athletes of Russia.

Finland beats Olympic Athletes of Russia, 5-1

Finland came out of the brutal Group A in third, beating the Olympic Athletes of Russia, 5-1, behind two power-play goals from Michelle Karvinen.

Riikka Valila, Pera Nieminen and Minamarri Tuominen also scored for Finland in the victory, while Anna Shokhina scored the Russians' first goal of the tournament in the loss.