USA vs Latvia: Olympic Men's Hockey Preview

Joseph McLaughlin
1 hour ago
4 min read

by Joseph McLaughlin

Sportz Nation - 2/12/2026

Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.

The wait is almost over. Team USA's men's ice hockey team is only hours away from taking the ice for the first time in the Milan Olympics. It is the first time for many of Team USA's players, who are NHL players joining the Olympic Games for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The Americans are co-favorites to win the gold medal with their geographic rival, Canada, setting their sights on their first gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. Team USA's last international game was the 4 Nations Face Off final in Boston, where the Americans fell to the Canadians 3-2 in overtime.

The USA's first game will be against Latvia, a team with six NHL stars of its own and a hunger to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time in team history. Latvia went 0-4 in its games during the 2022 Beijing Olympics and has not won an Olympic hockey game since February of 2014, when it defeated Switzerland 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Both teams are in Group C, with this game being the first of three Group Stage games played throughout this weekend. Currently, the USA is the heavy favorite, with a -3.5 advantage according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Keys to the Game

Team USA

The Americans are loaded with talent in all three phases of the game, and using it to its fullest will be the USA's key to winning. The team boasts a roster with so much power that even U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan is amazed by America's hockey depth.

"I'm not sure there has been a deeper pool of American-born players, and that speaks volumes for the growth of the sport in the United States," said Sullivan to NBC Sports back in August 2025.

America's talent starts with its offense. Stars like Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights will be the pillars of the American attack.

Matthews, the 2016 first-overall pick, has had a down year by his standard, but he still has 26 goals and 22 assists (48 points) this year with the Leafs. Matthew Tkachuk has only played in 10 games this season, after missing the first 47 games due to offseason surgery for a torn adductor. Since his return on January 19, the Florida Panther scored 3 goals and 5 assists in that span. Matthew's younger brother, Brady, on the other hand, has 14 goals and 23 (37 points) in 37 games.

Statistically, the best of the four this year is Jack Eichel, who has 21 goals and 47 assists (68 points). Eichel, being ninth in points, will be a key factor in playmaking, allowing players like the Tkachuk brothers, Matthews, and other skaters such as Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck to swoop in and score.

Defensively, players such as Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy will serve as a defensive foundation that also contributes to the offense. Hughes is fifth in the NHL in assists with 52 this season, while McAvoy has 35 assists. Both will be keys to holding the blue line and keeping the pressure on the Latvians. That, paired with excellent goaltending from the 2025 Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck, will create a fierce defense that Latvia will struggle with.

Team Latvia

With everything the USA has to offer, this game becomes a tall task for Latvia. Despite the odds, however, it won't be an impossible task to defeat the USA. Latvia will have to play a near-perfect game, utilizing its own NHL talent.

That starts with Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who has been decent for the Blue Jackets this season. The 12-year veteran has an 11-8-1 record this season, a 3.49 goals against average, and a .888 save percentage. These numbers are not bad, and some wins were impressive performances against the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. That being said, Merzlikins will need to play his best game to keep up with a high-octane American offense.

The Latvians do not have as much offensive power as the Americans, but they do have NHL skaters such as Zemgus Girgensons of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Uvis Balinskis of the Florida Panthers, who both have 14 points this season. Latvia will need both of these skaters to lead the offense to an early lead and stay ahead of the U.S.

Who Wins?

It is tough to bet against the Americans in this contest. With the spread being more than three goals, it is expected to be a blowout. I do think the Latvians will put up a fight, and their NHL skaters will make things interesting; however, I think the USA is too much for Latvia to handle.

I predict the U.S. to cover the spread, winning this game 5-1. A key for the Americans will be taking advantage of penalties and scoring on the power play. A few power play goals and an American lead will likely put this game away with the USA's talent on defense. With a win, the USA would get a good start to Group Stage play before facing Denmark on Saturday and Germany on Sunday.

Puck drop for this game will be at 3:10 p.m. EST (9:10 p.m. local time).