The Americans kicked off their 2026 Olympic men's hockey run with a decisive 5-1 win over Latvia. Team USA got off to a slow start before wearing down the Latvians over the final two periods in a dominant effort.
The opening 20 minutes left a lot to be desired as the U.S. and Latvia went into the first intermission tied at 1-1. Team USA had two goals overturned due to coach's challenges, and it hit three posts.
Instead of getting frustrated, the U.S. turned up the heat and completely controlled play in the final 40 minutes. The Americans had the Latvians running around in their own zone for the entire second period, and Brock Nelson managed to bury a pair of goals.
The second one showed just how much skill is on this U.S. team as they ran a passing drill around and through the Latvians.
Nelson was one of the game's standouts with his two goals, but Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes (two assists each) were also littered throughout the scoresheet. Another positive for the Americans was the chemistry between Matthew and Brady Tkachuk as the brothers combined to open the scoring.
There was a lot to like about Team USA's game -- especially the last two periods. The passing got cleaner as the game progressed, the power play tallied two goals and the forecheck was extremely effective. This won't be the Americans' biggest test of the tournament, but it was a good start nonetheless.
A matchup against Denmark awaits on Saturday as the U.S. continues preliminary round play.
On two different occasions in the first period, the U.S. appeared to take a 2-1 lead before a coach's challenge from Latvia took a goal off the board. Combine those overturned goals with three posts hit, and it was an inauspicious start for the Americans.
Poor luck aside, the U.S. just wasn't terribly sharp in the first period. The team clearly needed some time to gel before hitting its stride. There were untimely turnovers -- one of which led to the Latvian goal -- and errant passes. Team USA was also settling for point shots instead of trying to create chances from the slot.
Instead of looking at the scoreboard and panicking, the Americans went to work in the second period and found a rhythm. They were running circles around the Latvians, wreaking havoc on the forecheck and getting to the high-danger areas. They even chased an exhausted Elvis Merzlikins from the net prior to the third period.
If that was a taste of how Team USA will play throughout this tournament, a gold medal will be within reach.
One of the primary victims of that poor first-period luck was Nelson, who had one goal overturned and rang another shot off the post. Undeterred, Nelson only got better in the second period when he potted a pair of goals to blow the game open for the Americans.
Both goals were works of hockey art with the second ending a tic-tac-toe play right before the end of the second period, but the first one was a great play by Nelson and Jack Hughes. The latter drew a pair of defenders to him, leaving Nelson alone in the slot, and the Colorado Avalanche veteran finished the play with a filthy deke on Merzlikins.
At 34, Nelson has waited a long time for his first shot at the Olympics. I was critical of his placement on the 4 Nations Face-Off roster, but Nelson has more than earned his spot in Italy. Nelson is having a tremendous season with the Avalanche as he is on pace for a career high 43 goals while boasting excellent five-on-five numbers. That success immediately translated to the international stage on Thursday.
Team USA features two sets of brothers -- Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes. All four of them managed to find the scoresheet on Thursday, and they combined for seven points.
The Tkachuks set the tone with a terrific play in the first period, and it looked like they knew exactly what the other one was thinking. Matthew got the puck just inside the blue line and chipped a perfect pass to Brady, who was screaming toward the slot, and Brady uncorked a flawless shot that went in off the right post.
As for the Hughes brothers, they both were distributing the puck well, which is their signature. Jack got the primary assist on both of Nelson's goals, and Quinn notched a helper on each of the Americans' power play goals.
That was a pretty dominant effort from the U.S. in the final 40 minutes. The Americans got stronger as the game went on, and they showed just how loaded they are with four lines that can do some damage. Denmark is up next on Saturday as the Americans continue preliminary round play.
The Americans are playing a strong third period, even if there are fewer offensive fireworks. Team USA is keeping Latvia away from Connor Hellebuyck, and it isn't making any costly mistakes that could give the opposition a semblance of life. The U.S. is simply suffocating Latvia with the finish line in sight.
Thanks to an early penalty by the Latvians in the third period, the U.S. power play has found the back of the net for the second time today. This time, it was Auston Matthews lighting the lamp from the bumper position. Jack Eichel fed Matthews with a pass out of the corner, and Matthews had just enough time to power a shot past Silovs before the Latvian defenders closed in on him.
I's hard to have any notes for the U.S. coming out of that second period. That was as dominant a period as you could possibly ask for, so it's just about finishing strong now. If there is anything I'd like to see, it would be Auston Matthews being a bit more selfish. He's got a case as the best pure shooter in the NHL, but he's been a little deferential, which can be easy to do on a roster with this much skill. He probably needs to pull the trigger more.
Arturs Silovs is now in goal for Latvia as the U.S. wore out Elvis Merzlikins in the second period. This move is probably more about keeping Merzlikins fresh for the rest of the tournament while also getting a look at how Silovs performs on this stage.
Someone get Elvis Merzlikins an oxygen tank. The Americans have run that poor man ragged in the second period, and they ended the second frame with a gorgeous display of passing off the rush. Four of the five players on the ice touched the puck, and the play ended with Brock Nelson getting his second of the game. After a slow start, the U.S. is now in full command through 40 minutes.
The Latvians played admirably in the first period, but the second period was spent entirely in their zone. It felt like the U.S. outshot Latvia 100-1, but that may be a bit hyperbolic (the actual count was more like 16-2).
What a beauty from Tage Thompson to give the Americans a two-goal lead. Thompson got the puck on the blue line, reversed to put his back to the Latvian defender and roofed a perfect backhand shot over the shoulder of Merzlikins. The U.S. has utterly dominated this second period, and they've been rewarded for it, thanks to that solo effort from Thompson.
Brock Nelson has given the Americans the lead, and this one will count. The U.S. got in on the forecheck and made good things happen. Jack Hughes took possession of the puck behind the net, and when two Latvian players pursued him, he slipped a pass to Nelson driving the net. The veteran put a nice move on Merzlikins and slid the puck into a wide open cage.
This is more of what I expected to see from the Americans. They are controlling play and tilting the ice toward the Latvian zone. Whenever Latvia does clear the puck, the U.S. defenseman are quick to regroup and push the pace back toward offense. The Americans are still settling for too many outside shots, in my humble opinion, but Latvia is also doing a good job of getting sticks and bodies in shooting lanes. If the U.S. keeps pushing like this, the dam will break sooner rather than later.
The Americans will try to create some separation in the middle frame, and there are a couple things I would look for over the next 40 minutes.
1. Fewer point shots: Team USA settled for a lot of long-distance point shots in the first period. I understand the inclination to do so. Your blue line is littered with offensive talent, and you want them to get the puck toward the net. That said, I'd like to see the Americans get better quality with side-to-side passing and shots from the mid- to low-slot.
2. Boldy bounce-back: Those first 20 minutes weren't the best of Matt Boldy's career. His turnover led to Latvia's goal, and he was knocked off the puck a time or two in the offensive zone. Boldy is an exceptional player, and I'm excited to see what he can do on the Olympic stage. Expect him to be better the rest of the way.
The only way to draw up a more frustrating start for Team USA in the Olympics would've been if it was trailing after one, which it nearly was, except the backchecking efforts of Matt Boldy prevented it.
The U.S. had two goals wiped off the board due to coach's challenges (one for offside and one for goalie interference), and it hit at least two posts. There was some good in that opening period, but it was largely one that the Americans will want to forget.
It was clear that we were watching a team that 1) hasn't played together at all and 2) is full of players who haven't played a game in at least a week. There were errant passes, bad turnovers and general miscommunications on things like defensive zone coverage. I expect the Americans will get more crisp as the game progresses.
Well, for the second time this period, an American goal has been wiped off the board due to a coach's challenge by Latvia. It looked like Brock Nelson had tipped a puck past Merzlikins to give Team USA a 2-1 lead, but it was overturned due to goaltender interference on the part of J.T. Miller. This has been a frustrating start for the U.S. We remain tied in Milan.
