Nicklas Jensen scored two goals in two minutes late in the second period to set Denmark on its way to the 2026 Olympic Games. It took the host nation time to recover from an early Norwegian goal, but after Jensen turned the game around the Danes went on to win it 4-1. Victory at the 2024 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification Group F in Aalborg means Denmark is going to Milan for its second ever Games, having made its debut in Beijing two years ago.

Denmark 4 Norway 1 (0-1, 2-0, 2-0)

In a high-stakes game against a local rival, any coach will tell you the first priority is to quiet down the home support. Norway did that perfectly, grabbing the opening goal after just 26 seconds. It was all about a willingness to battle: NHL ace Mats Zuccarello chasing a lost cause in the corner, keeping the play alive and eventually returning to the slot to thump home the rebound after Danish goalie Frederik Andersen kicked away Eirik Salsten’s shot.

The Danish crowd in Aalborg, so raucous in the build-up, fell silent. Norway got straight back on the attack amid an eerie silence, broken only when Danish blueliner Oliver Holton tangled with Thomas Olsen in front of Andersen’s net. It was only a bit of handbags, but it injected some energy back into the building.

However, it could not energize the Danish offence. Norway enjoyed the better of the first-period play, frustrating Denmark’s efforts to unleash its NHL firepower. It wasn’t until late in the frame that the hosts got the first power play and we saw something of the Nikolaj Ehlers-Lars Eller threat. Nikolaj’s speedy break from his own zone enabled Lars to collect a pass and drill a shot past Henrik Haugeland. The crossbar came to the rescue for Norway’s goalie, preserving the lead until the intermission.

The middle frame was studded with penalties. A needless trip by Ehlers behind the Norwegian net set the tone at the start and Denmark struggled to stay out of the box as Norway largely controlled the play. Andersen, Denmark's Carolina Hurricanes goalie, played a huge role in keeping his team in contention - as Jensen highlighted.

"He was the best player of the tournament," said the Danish goal hero. "Without him, we wouldn't be here and smiling right now. He showed that he is one of the best goaltenders in the world."

While Andersen kept Norway at bay, out of nothing, the tying goal came at 36:04.

Jensen was the scorer, collecting Eller’s cross-ice feed in the right-hand circle, taking a couple of steps towards the centre and placing his shot over Haukeland’s shoulder. At last, the home crowd came back to life and the atmosphere and momentum shifted.

Jensen was quick to build on that. A Danish power play saw Ehlers take the puck deep before pulling it back to the right-hand circle. Once again, Jensen found his preferred central shooting lane and beat Haugeland to put his nation up 2-1. After struggling to get his shots on target earlier in the competition, Jensen concluded: "It was about time. I had a feeling when I woke up that today would be the day. It was great to see them go in because we were under pressure at the time."

The third frame was cautious. Through 15 minutes, the teams managed just eight shots on target between them. It all added up to a tense finale, long on suspense but short on dangerous moments at either net.

The final release came with three minutes left. Ehlers’ pace again caused Norway problems as he burned down the left and looked to score on the wraparound. Haugeland got his pad on it, but the puck went straight to Patrick Russell to bang in the rebound and confirm Denmark’s place at its second Olympic Winter Games.

Ehlers couldn't join his compatriots in Beijing in 2022 despite helping them through qualification. Now, he's close to achieving a lifelong dream. "It hasn't quite seeped in yet," he said after the game. "To get to do this with these guys, that's the reason why I love coming home."

Norway pulled the goalie and had a flurry of shots at Andersen but could not find the target. Instead, Russell forced a turnover and set off down the ice to put away the fourth Danish goal as the party kicked up another gear in Aalborg.

Great Britain 3 Japan 2 (3-0, 0-2, 0-0)

Earlier in the day, Great Britain took third place in Group F with a victory over Japan. The Japanese had been impressive in their earlier games against Scandinavian opposition and had hopes of victory over the Brits in the countries’ first meeting since 2017.

However, GB’s power play made the difference in the first period, building up a 3-0 lead for coach Peter Russell’s team. Japan hit back and might have tied the game in the third, but eventually fell 3-2.

Britain made the brighter start and had an early power play when Robert Dowd stickhandled to the net, only to be fouled by Yu Sato. At 2:59, GB converted that chance as Sean Norris buried a snipe from the right-hand circle to claim his first international goal.

Japan, so relentless in its pressing against Norway and Denmark, struggled to maintain the same intensity in this game and, after an unconvincing power play of its own, fell further behind in the 15th minute. This time
Liam Kirk was the scorer, capitalizing on a man advantage to pot his second of the tournament.

A couple of minutes later it was 3-0 when Josh Waller put away the rebound from a Ben Lake shot. Waller, who also assisted on the Norris goal, is one of a handful of British players who worked with Japan’s head coach Jarrod Skalde when he was behind the bench at the Cardiff Devils in 2021-22.

In the middle frame, Japan improved. A trademark pacey counterattack saw Kosuke Otsu surprise British goalie Jackson Whistle with an angled, rising shot to cut the deficit to 3-1 in the 23rd minute.

That ushered in a spell of extended Japanese pressure. Whistle was much the busier goalie in the second and Japan found an injection of energy to battle back into the game. Reward came late: in the 37th minute Hiroto Sato produced a billiard-style feed, cannoning the puck off the boards for Makuru Furuhashi to squeeze home his second goal of the tournament from a tight angle.

The third period promised to be fascinating. Both teams had chances, especially as the clock ran down. Narisawa produced a huge save to keep Japan in the game. Britain forced a turnover in Japanese territory and swiftly engineered a shooting chance for Kirk, but Narisawa held onto his fierce effort.

At the other end, Hanzawa spurned a glorious opportunity to tie it up with six minutes to play. A defensive lapse presented him with the puck in front of the net, but he fired his shot at Whistle and the chance was gone.

With two minutes left, Japan replaced Narisawa with an extra skater. Britain might have finished the game almost immediately, but Rob Lachowicz could not force home a chance on the wraparound. Then Josh Batch took a boarding penalty and Japan played the last 1:36 with a 6-on-4 advantage. However, the shorthanded Brits twice cleared their lines in the first 30 seconds of that power play and Japan was unable to create another dangerous look at Whistle.