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Even the clearest, best company strategy will stall if employees don’t connect with it. To get their buy-in and build real commitment, you need a visual metaphor that brings your strategy to life. Use this three-step roadmap to get started.  Locate the right metaphor. Start by listening. Pay attention to the images and phrases leaders and employees already […]

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To snap.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

FLICK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Come up.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

ARISE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Chubby.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 20, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

PUDGY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Sheet.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

PAPER

Final Hurdle hint

A vital organ.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

LIVER

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 20, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for February 20, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 20 Pips

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 20 Pips

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be greater than 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Feb. 20 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 5-0, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this red space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this green space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this purple space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is for people that like to bet on the ponies.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Take a break

• Green: Money on the ponies

• Blue: Minnesota QBs

• Purple: Types of races

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Break in the Action

• Green: Best in Horse Racing

• Blue: QBs Drafted by Vikings in First Round

• Purple: Seen at a race

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #515 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Break in the Action - INTERMISSION, PAUSE, SUSPENSION, TIMEOUT

• Best in Horse Racing - EXACTA, PLACE, SHOW, WIN

• QBs Drafted by Vikings in First Round - BRIDGEWATER, CULPEPPER, MCCARTHY, PONDER

• Race___ - BIB, CAR, COURSE, WALKING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love game night.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for February 20, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Band-Aid

• Green: Lunar

• Blue: Board game pieces

• Purple: Popular men's name

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Quick fix

• Green: Associated with the moon

• Blue: Original Monopoly tokens

• Purple: What "Jack" might refer to

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #985 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Quick fix: EASY ANSWER, MAGIC WAND, PANACEA, SILVER BULLET

• Associated with the moon: ECLIPSE, GREEN CHEESE, TIDE, WEREWOLF

• Original Monopoly tokens: BOOT, IRON, THIMBLE, TOP HAT

• What "Jack" might refer to: CHEESE, DONKEY, PLAYING CARD, SOCKET

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 20, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're rough around the edges.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 20, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 20, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: True grit

The words are related to a rugged material.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a jagged material.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sand Paper.

NYT Strands word list for February 20

• Prickly

• Rough

• Coarse

• Scratchy

• Sand Paper

• Abrasive

• Harsh

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have a good nose.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 20, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for February 20, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Smelled bad.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

STANK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

After nights of mostly darkness, the Moon is treating us to some viewing features tonight once again. Keep reading to see what exactly you can spot on its surface tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Friday, Feb. 20, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 9% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

Moon gazing is back, and there are a few viewing opportunities for tonight. With no visual aids, you should be able to make out a few surface features, but mainly the Mares Crisium and Fecunditatis. If you add a telescope or binoculars, you'll add the Endymion Crater to this line up.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will be on March 3. The last Full Moon was on Feb. 1.

What are Moon phases?

NASA tells us that the Moon completes a full orbit around Earth in roughly 29.5 days. During this cycle, it passes through eight distinct phases. Although we consistently see the same side of the Moon, the portion illuminated by the Sun shifts as it travels along its orbit. The changing angle of sunlight reflecting off the Moon’s surface is what makes it appear full, partially lit, or nearly dark at different times. The eight phases include:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

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GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and more — all in one clean interface. It’s built for people who iterate fast, test variations, and actually care about optimizing results.

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Beyond comparisons, ChatPlayground AI includes prompt engineering tools to refine outputs, image and PDF chat for context-aware responses, saved chat history for ongoing projects, and AI image generation powered by leading models. There’s even a Chrome extension to integrate it directly into your browsing workflow.

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Grab lifetime access to ChatPlayground AI Unlimited for $74.97 with code SAVE4 before Feb. 22 and stop juggling models for good.

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Elon Musk's AI bot Grok doxxed porn performer Siri Dahl, revealing her legal name and birth date to users, 404 Media reported.

Grok has been in the news in recent months due to producing nonconsensual sexual images of women and girls. It's also been criticized for praising Hitler, spreading misinformation, and generating sycophantic praise towards Musk.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's Grok faces another EU investigation over nonconsensual AI images

Now Dahl, who has been interviewed by Mashable in previous stories, described to 404 Media how the chatbot revealed personal information she had worked hard to keep private. She has paid thousands of dollars for data removal services, according to 404 Media.

"Now that the cat's out of the bag, and there's no way to put it back in," Dahl shared on X, before directing an all-caps "FUCK YOU" at the chatbot.

Grok's generated response on X was: "I'm sorry you're upset." It stated that Dahl's legal name and birthdate are already public on the internet, which Dahl denied.

"My legal name only became public after you doxxed me, and now thanks to you it's been proliferated all over the internet by other AI scrapers, so there’s no way that information can ever be private again," Dahl replied.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"Go fuck yourself you nazi clanker," she added.

In addition to her adult work, Dahl has gained prominence due to her sex work and First Amendment advocacy. Both before and after the 2024 presidential election, Dahl hosted the Corn Telethon, a Jerry Lewis-type livestream to raise awareness about Project 2025 and advocate for free speech.

Mashable has reached out to Dahl's representatives and xAI for comment.

SEE ALSO: 'Clanker' is social media's new slur for our robot future

Adult performers often deal with stalkers, doxxing attempts, and harassment, merely for existing. If Grok is sharing personal information without permission, that would certainly be a cause for alarm among performers.

Most people shopping for a Honda SUV go straight to the CR-V. It’s the default pick: roomy, sensible, and everywhere for a reason.

Breaking news: There are gay people in positions of power in Silicon Valley in 2026.

That not-so-surprising fact is the center of Wired's latest cover story, which hit the internet Thursday. The internet immediately reacted, in part thanks to some, uh, unusual imagery that accompanied the article.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

...who signed off on this image www.wired.com/story/inside...

[image or embed]

— Mike Murphy (@mcwm.bsky.social) February 19, 2026 at 12:16 PM

The handshake cover wasn't the only bizarre choice. Inside, the magazine used an image of a musclebound man with San Francisco's Salesforce Tower between his legs. California state senator Scott Weiner, a leader on LGBTQ issues, took issue with the whole premise.

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One Silicon Valley investor, a gay man who said he refused multiple requests to be interviewed, felt justified by the "gross" result:

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He wasn't the only one. Many LGBTQ tech employees felt the article could be described as "homophobic."

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Other readers noted that the article itself is, to use the magazine's lingo, tired rather than wired:

This is one of the worst opening paragraphs I have ever read, thanks

[image or embed]

— Regime Accountant, CPA (@regimecpa.bsky.social) February 19, 2026 at 9:25 AM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Meanwhile, social media did what it does best: Skewering with satire.

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The U.S. government may be partially shut down, but that will not affect your 2026 tax filing, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Earlier this month, the government agency shared on its website that operations will continue per usual. That's because the funding lapse narrowly applies to the Department of Homeland Security and agencies that operate under it.

"Expect IRS operations to continue as normal with IRS offices maintaining regular hours, on-line self-service help tools available and other services continuing as usual," the IRS stated. "Taxpayers also should continue to meet any federal tax filing or payment obligations as normal."

What is the government shutdown about?

The shutdown, which began Saturday, Feb. 14, revolves around negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White House over DHS funding. Democrats are seeking reforms to immigration enforcement policies, in the wake of the shooting deaths of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration authorities. They are declining to approve DHS funding without such reforms.

Their proposals include prohibiting immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks, requiring verification that a person isn't a U.S. citizen before detaining them, and protecting sensitive locations, such as schools, churches, and medical facilities.

What should I know about filing my 2026 taxes?

The IRS encourages taxpayers to consult its website featuring online tools and resources. The site offers instructions on how to file online and when to expect a refund (usually less than 21 days when filing electronically).

The Trump administration canceled the pilot program Direct File, which allowed eligible taxpayers to submit their return directly to the IRS for free. However, the IRS' Free File program is still available to eligible taxpayers who can take advantage of free tax preparation software to complete their return. Taxpayers can also access free online fillable forms.

Lastly, taxpayers should strongly consider receiving any refunds via electronic deposit. An executive order signed by President Trump in 2025 directed federal agencies, including the IRS, to make payments electronically rather than issue paper checks.

While the IRS will still issue checks to taxpayers who cannot provide banking information, refunds could take longer in those instances. The IRS will first request their electronic deposit information or an explanation for why they can't provide it.

If the taxpayer doesn't respond to the IRS' letter, and their return has no outstanding issues, a check will be issued after six weeks.

OneDrive for Mac has always been functional, but it's far from Microsoft's best application on the platform. Thankfully, Microsoft is finally giving it a long-overdue overhaul with Liquid Glass and other native enhancements.

Polestar recently announced it will release four new vehicles between now and 2028, a move the automaker called its largest product offensive since launching as a standalone operation from Volvo in 2017. The models include the Polestar 5 Grand Tourer (GT) this summer, a new variant of the Polestar 4 in Q4 2026, the next-gen Polestar 2 in early 2027, and a compact premium SUV, the Polestar 7, in 2028.

Jason Statham remains one of Hollywood's best tough guys. If a movie needs an elite fighter who knows how to use a gun, then Statham should be the first call. Statham's name and persona can carry a movie, but he works better as part of an ensemble. The Expendables franchise is a case in point.

TL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The international ice hockey we've all been enjoying over the last few weeks is coming to an end. That's a great shame, but the good news is we've still got a number of incredible matchups to watch. USA vs. Slovakia is the second semi final from the men's draw. We're expecting an entertaining battle between two talented squads. They'll be doing everything they can to make this weekend's final.

If you want to watch USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is USA vs. Slovakia?

USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey takes place at 3:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 20. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch USA vs. Slovakia for free

USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Canada

4. Visit CBC Gem

5. Watch USA vs. Slovakia for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the ice hockey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Canada

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream USA vs. Slovakia in men's ice hockey for free with ExpressVPN.

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