Hertl's Olympic struggles continue as Czechia edges Denmark 3-2

Hertl’s Penalties Nearly Cost Czechia as They Escape Denmark 3-2

28 Apr 2026

Tomas Hertl’s Olympic struggles continued Tuesday, but Czechia managed to advance to the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory over Denmark in Milan. The Vegas Golden Knights center went scoreless for the fourth straight game and took two minor penalties that nearly allowed Denmark to tie the game.

Hertl’s first penalty, for elbowing at 15:21 of the second period, led to a Denmark power-play goal. His second, also for elbowing at 11:31 of the third, put Czechia in a precarious position, but the Danes could not capitalize. Hertl finished with two shots on goal and went 9-of-14 in the faceoff circle, an improvement over his 3-of-12 performance against Canada in the preliminary round.

In a lineup shakeup for the knockout stage, Hertl was moved from the top line to the third line. The change paid dividends for the top wingers: Martin Necas scored the game’s first goal and David Pastrnak recorded an assist.

Czechia now faces top-seeded Canada in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. ET. Canada shut out Czechia 5-0 in the preliminary round on Thursday. The game will feature several NHL teammates on opposite sides, including Knights defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Mark Stone for Canada.

In other Golden Knights Olympic news, defenseman Rasmus Andersson was a healthy scratch for Sweden’s 5-1 win over Latvia on Tuesday. Andersson has appeared in two games and is minus-2. Sweden will face Team USA in the quarterfinals at noon Wednesday.

Goaltender Akira Schmid was the backup in Switzerland’s 3-0 win over host Italy. Starter Leonardo Genoni posted a 20-save shutout, his second of the tournament. Schmid’s only start was a 5-1 loss to Canada on Friday.