Team USA Hockey Defeats Sweden To Advance To Semifinals In 2026 Winter Olympics

Team USA Hockey defeated Team Sweden to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

In the second period, Dylan Larkin of Team USA scored a goal. Larkin was the No. 15 pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL Draft. He has played in three NHL All-Star Games, his most recent in 2023.

With less than two minutes left in the third period, Mika Zibanejad of Team Sweden scored a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Zibanjad was the No. 6 pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL Draft. He has played for the New York Rangers since 2016-17. He made the NHL All-Star Game in 2022.

Quinn Hughes secured the win for Team USA with a goal in overtime. Hughes was the No. 7 pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Wild earlier this season. He’s made the NHL All-Star Game two times, including most recently in 2024. 

Team USA is currently 4-0 in the 2026 Winter Olympics. They defeated both Latvia and Germany by 5-1 scores in the preliminary round. Team USA has won thanks to Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck. Matthews has scored five points, while Hellebuyck has a .952 save percentage. 

Team Sweden went 2-1 in the preliminary round. They defeated Latvia 5-1 in a qualification game to advance to the quarterfinals. Team Sweden was led by defensemen Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin. 

Team USA will play Slovakia in the semifinals on Feb. 20. The men’s hockey team last won gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics. This was the infamous “Miracle on Ice” game, where the U.S. upset the Soviet Union to advance to the finals. This upset sparked a movie and an ESPN documentary. 

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Article by Matthew Mendives