The USA-Canada rivalry is typically full of surprises, but the staggering score in Tuesday's preliminary round matchup was not one that was expected.

The United States delivered Canada its first Olympic shutout ever in the 5-0 victory for the Americans.

It was not only the first time Canada has failed to score in Olympic women's hockey history, but it was also the largest margin of victory for Team USA over Canada in both women's and men's Olympic hockey.

"It's pretty special. This group has been unbelievable from the start of the tournament and I think we displayed that going against our known rivals. It's just good momentum for us going into the play-off rounds," said Kirsten Simms who tallied her first Olympic goal in the game.

MATCH RESULTS

And the firsts just kept coming.

First-time Olympian Hannah Bilka led the way with two goals, and she expressed what she'd tell her younger self about her stellar performance. "Just be in the moment, enjoy it, I don't think I have time to process it...I think she'd be pretty proud," Bilka said during the second intermission.

Speaking of proud, Laila Edwards continues to make history. When she first touched the ice, Edwards became the first Black woman to compete for Team USA at the Games and now she's tallied her first Olympic goal.

"We're playing a good brand of hockey and we're just sticking to it. We're sticking to the principles and that benefits us. We've got a great group that just gels really well together," Edwards said after the game.

And it's impossible to talk history without Captain Hilary Knight. The five-time Olympian tied the U.S. record for Olympic points in career history (32) when she tee-ed up Caroline Harvey's second goal of the Games.

While the 5-0 win by the United States was an unexpected outcome, to say the least, in hockey's most anticipated rivalry of the Games, it's important to remember the Canadians were without team captain Marie-Philip Poulin. She suffered a lower body injury in Monday's game against Czechia and is listed as "day-to-day."

"Tomorrow she'll be reassessed. I think it'd be doubtful that she'd be (ready) for our next one (against Finland on Thursday) but we're optimistic that she will return during these Olympics. All I've been really told from medical is that it's not as bad as they originally thought, so we're definitely optimistic that she'll be back," Canadian head coach Troy Ryan said after the game.

Despite the blowout win, the U.S. squad is taking it all in stride.

"I think it's always great when you get a win like that," Alex Carpenter said after the victory.

In post-game coverage, U.S. women's hockey Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports hockey analyst Angela Ruggiero called this American team the best she's ever seen.

And, that analysis has plenty of stats to back it up from the entire team, including a massive offensive output from the newcomers.

The U.S. has scored five goals in each of its first four games of the tournament, and they've only allowed one goal. The math: USA has outscored its opponents 20-1 at the 2026 Olympics.

And the defense has been nearly impenetrable in every game so far. They're backed by U.S. goalie, Aerin Frankel, who stopped 20 shots against Canada and racked up her second shutout of the Games.

“It starts from off the ice. We have such a special bond but those girls are phenomenal players. Megan Keller, Laila Edwards, they are so reliable. Whatever position anyone is in, we know they can get the job done,” Harvey said of the team's defense after the game.

While Canada still has one more group stage game left against Finland on Feb. 12 (after it was postponed earlier in the Games due to illness), the U.S. officially clinched the top spot in Group A and is on to the next round.

“What's the hardest part of climbing the mountain? Getting home. If you ever feel good about climbing Mount Everest, the way down is when you've done something. That's when the mountain eats you up. You've got to get home, and that is the hardest part," U.S. head coach John Wroblewski said on the team's quest for gold.

Team USA plays Italy Feb. 13 in the quarterfinal round at 3:10p.m. ET.

Other game updates from Feb. 10

Reuters contributed to this report.