Team Canada looked completely overmatched on Tuesday as they were handed a 5–0 loss by Team USA, something that rarely happens to a program with their pedigree. Experienced players made mistakes you’d expect from rookies. The penalties piled up. And even without injured captain Marie-Philip Poulin, the performance was hard to explain away.

“We probably got to do a little bit of soul-searching and make some little adjustments,” head coach Troy Ryan admitted after the game. “But you’ve got to play the game with confidence. You can’t be scared to make mistakes, and that’s how it looked at times.”

The Americans outshot Canada 22–10 through the first two periods before easing off in the third. By then, the damage was done. The defending Olympic champions looked hesitant and, most concerning of all, afraid to make plays at various moments in the game.

“It’s not that there’s no confidence, but we played like we didn’t have confidence with the puck,” Ryan said. “We rushed a lot of decisions. You just look at the amount of offsides we had, the amount of icings we had, it’s just uncharacteristic.”

Forward Blayre Turnbull saw the problems compound as the game went on. “We had a lot of breakdowns in our game,” she said. “We would make one mistake that led to another mistake, and sometimes those things kind of compound, and they’re hard to make up for.”

The mental side of the loss might be the most difficult part. Getting dominated by your biggest rival in the preliminary round sets a psychological tone that’s hard to shake. When Canada faces the United States again, possibly in the gold medal game, that memory will still be fresh.

Team Canada ready to do whatever it takes to bounce back 

Brianne Jenner, who wore the captain’s “C” in Poulin’s absence, pushed back against any suggestion that the team lacks belief in themselves or each other.

“Sometimes games like that happen,” Jenner said. “It’s hard to put a finger on what it was, but I don’t think we’re lacking any confidence or confidence in each other.”

What Canada does have, according to Jenner, is motivation.

“I think we’re as hungry as it gets,” she said. “We want to do everything we can to learn from this.”

Some of the story belongs to the Americans. Caroline Harvey has elevated her game to another level at these Olympics. She’s on a clear path to becoming the best player in the world, and captain Hilary Knight has the entire team rolling.

The U.S. looks like the gold medal favourite by a significant margin, and Canada knows it.

The good news? Canada has time to figure things out. A norovirus outbreak hit Finland’s roster last week, forcing their game against Canada to be postponed. What should have been the end of the preliminary round has become an unexpected opportunity.

Canada will face Finland on Thursday before the knockout stage begins Saturday. That rescheduled game gives them a chance to work through their issues before the tournament becomes single-elimination.

“I’m not one to hesitate to juggle,” Ryan said. “I don’t mind juggling lines. There’s probably some little tweaks that we need to make, for sure.”

Canada could do with more physicality, per Ann-Renee Desbiens

Goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens, who was in net for all five goals, suggested the team might need to be more physical. With players coming from the PWHL, where more hitting is allowed, finding the right balance within international rules could make a difference.

“This event, we still haven’t found that line of what’s allowed and what’s not allowed, what you can do, not do, what’s called, what’s not called,” Desbiens said. “It’s just trying to find it as soon as you can and then try to make it hard to play against.”

There’s some positive news on the injury front. Ryan said Poulin’s lower-body injury wasn’t as serious as initially feared. While she’s doubtful for the Finland game, there’s optimism that the 34-year-old centre will return before the Olympics end.

Having their captain back would provide a significant boost both on the ice and in the locker room.

The defending champions are now at a critical point. They have one more preliminary game to get things right before the knockout round begins. Changes are coming in line adjustments and maybe a more physical approach.

But the biggest adjustment might be mental. Canada needs to rediscover the confidence that made them champions in the first place.

The Americans have set the bar. Now Canada has to figure out if they can reach it or if this Olympic tournament will end in disappointment for a program that’s used to standing on top of the podium.