The U.S. men’s hockey team will face Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday after a rolling through the preliminary round without a loss. Team USA, the No. 2 seed, was dominant in a 5-1 win over Germany on Sunday to close out the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record.
Auston Matthews’ three-point outing powered the Americans to victory before the competition picks up. Through the first two games, Matthews had drawn criticism for not being at his best. That went out the window on Sunday as Matthews was the best player on the ice for the United States. The Tkachuk brothers were everywhere as well in what has been a staple of the Americans’ play in this competition. Against Germany, Brady was a physical force and notched an assist on a goal by Brock Faber, and Matthew picked up two more assists as he continues to be at the center of the action offensively.
Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t tested a lot in goal, but he was very good when called upon. The only shot that got past Hellebuyck came off the stick of Tim Stützle, one of the Germans’ two best offensive players.
The United States made the preliminary round harder than it needed to be with a few slow starts, but the team played its best game of the tournament on Sunday. The Americans will try to carry that momentum into the quarterfinals against Sweden as Team USA tries to shake off an ugly history of overseas performances.
Since NHL players first went to the Olympics in 1998, the Americans have never medaled outside of North America. Will that change in Italy?
U.S. men’s hockey schedule
All times Eastern
Preliminary round
- Thursday, Feb. 12: USA 5, Latvia 1
- Saturday, Feb. 14: USA 6, Denmark 3
- Sunday, Feb. 15: USA 5, Germany 1
Quarterfinal
- USA vs. Sweden | Wednesday, Feb. 18 | 3:10 p.m. | NBC
Semifinal
- TBD vs. TBD | Friday, Feb. 20 | 3:10 p.m. | TBD
Bronze medal game
- TBD vs. TBD | Saturday, Feb. 21 | 2:10 p.m. | TBD
Gold medal game
- TBD vs. TBD | Sunday, Feb. 22 | 8:10 a.m. | TBD
