Team USA Crushes Germany 5-1, Clinches Top Spot and Bye to Olympic Quarterfinals
MILAN — Powered by a three-point night from captain Auston Matthews and a steady performance from netminder Connor Hellebuyck, Team USA beat Germany 5-1 in its final preliminary game at the 2026 Winter Games. The victory locked up first place in Group C and earned the Americans a bye into the quarterfinals. The U. S. will face the winner of the Sweden–Latvia playoff on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 3: 10 p. m. ET at Milano Santagiulia Arena.
Matthews delivers: two goals, one assist in dominant night
Auston Matthews set the tone, finishing with two goals and an assist to lead a balanced offensive showing. The scoring opened late in the first when Zach Werenski ripped a wrister with nine seconds remaining, a finish that came after a precise feed from Matthews and gave the Americans a late-period edge.
Matthews then capitalized on a second-period power-play rebound at 3: 25 to push the lead to 2-0, converting a chance created by Quinn Hughes’ shot that generated a loose puck in the crease. Brock Faber added another before the second horn when his point shot took a fortuitous deflection off the German goalie’s glove and into the net, stretching the margin to 3-0.
Early in the third, Tage Thompson extended the lead with a one-timer from the top of the circles off a feed from Dylan Larkin. Matthews finished the night by tipping home a Jake Sanderson shot at 16: 46 of the third, putting the game firmly out of reach at 5-0. Germany managed a late goal through Tim Stützle at 11: 22 but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.
Goalie, structure stifle German chances
Connor Hellebuyck stood tall in goal, turning aside 23 shots and producing several timely saves that kept the Americans in control during tense moments. One of the night's more notable stops came in the first period when Hellebuyck made a glove save with 3: 11 left to preserve the scoreless tie.
Defensively, Team USA limited dangerous looks and outshot Germany 37-24. The penalty kill held firm overall — the U. S. went 1-for-2 on the power play while preventing Germany from converting on three opportunities — and the blue line support, featuring contributors like Werenski and Sanderson, frustrated Germany’s attempts to gain traction.
Outlook: rest, reset and a quarterfinal hurdle
The Americans will take a scheduled day off to recover and prepare for the quarterfinal on Feb. 18 at 3: 10 p. m. ET. Clinching first in Group C grants the team a direct path to the knockout round, but the next opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Sweden–Latvia playoff. The win in Milan offers momentum: it was the coaching staff’s most complete outing to date in the tournament and provided timely contributions from both veterans and younger skaters.
Special teams and defensive structure will be focus points during the brief break, with the coaching staff expected to fine-tune matchups and game plans for a single-elimination contest. With Matthews finding the net and Hellebuyck locked in between the pipes, Team USA enters the quarterfinal stage as a confident, deep roster capable of pushing for a podium run.
