mens hockey olympics: U.S. Men to Face Sweden in Quarterfinals in Milan
MILAN — The U. S. men’s Olympic hockey team meets Sweden in a knockout quarterfinal tonight, with opening faceoff scheduled for 3: 10 p. m. ET (9: 10 p. m. local). The winner advances toward the medal round; the loser is eliminated from the tournament.
How both teams arrived
Team USA topped Group C by winning all three preliminary games in regulation and earned the No. 2 seed in the playoff round. Its most recent outing was a convincing 5-1 victory over Germany on Feb. 15, a game in which the Americans displayed speed and balanced scoring across their lines.
Sweden reached tonight’s quarterfinal after a 5-1 qualifying-round win over Latvia. In the preliminary stage the Swedes posted 5-2 and 5-3 wins over Italy and Slovakia, respectively, and suffered a 4-1 loss to Finland. Historical head-to-head history in the Olympic Games between the two nations is tightly contested: they have met 15 times, with the U. S. holding six wins, Sweden seven and two ties. Their last Olympic meeting was in Torino in 2006, a 2-1 Swedish victory.
Key matchups and storylines
Goaltending will be central. Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start for the U. S.; he ranks second in the tournament in both save percentage (. 952) and goals-against average (1. 00). Hellebuyck has appeared in two of the Americans’ three games and was sharp in the 5-1 win over Germany, stopping 23 of 24 shots.
Sweden’s crease situation adds intrigue. The team used a tandem approach in the preliminaries, and there is speculation about whether one of the young netminders will be chosen to start tonight. Sweden’s goalies have split duties so far and have shown the ability to steal games when they hit a hot stretch.
Another storyline is the NHL-team crossover that turns club teammates into international opponents. Several Minnesota Wild players are embroiled in this matchup: Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson and a pair of Wild netminder hopefuls create a familiar but tense dynamic facing U. S. players Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy. Faber, who has been a stand-out on the American blueline and scored his first Olympic goal earlier in the tournament, said of Eriksson Ek that he is often “right at the net creating havoc, ” underscoring how personal and tactical these matchups feel for players who share NHL dressing rooms during the regular season.
Form, history and what to watch
History is a weight on Team USA’s shoulders in quarterfinal play: the Americans have lost their last two quarterfinal games in shootouts, falling 3-2 to Slovakia in 2022 and 3-2 to the Czech Republic in 2018. Overall, the U. S. is 4-5 in Olympic quarterfinals, with the most recent win coming in Sochi in 2014, a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic. With a roster heavy on NHL experience, the Americans will aim to avoid another shootout finish and close out a decisive result in regulation.
Special teams could tilt the game. The U. S. penalty kill has been effective, and Sweden’s disciplined forecheck and depth scoring present a stern test. Expect close-checking defensive zone play around the net, where Eriksson Ek’s disruptive style and American defensemen’s gap control will be matched blow for blow.
Tonight’s quarterfinal is single-elimination and will test both teams’ depth, goaltending and composure in high-leverage moments. Puck drop is at 3: 10 p. m. ET; for players with NHL histories, the game also carries the added spice of facing club teammates on hockey’s biggest international stage.
