USA vs Sweden: Men's Olympic Preview

Joseph McLaughlin
1 hour ago
2 min read

Joseph McLaughlin

Sportz Nation - 2/18/2026

After a successful set of preliminary matchups, Team USA gears up to play its first medal round game against Team Sweden in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Men's Hockey Playoff Quarterfinals.

Team USA currently sits as the No. 2 seed in the Men's Hockey bracket after going 3-0 in group stage play. The Americans defeated the Latvians 5-1, the Danes 6-3, and the Germans 5-1 to earn a first-round bye.

For their first playoff matchup, the U.S. draws the No. 7 seed, Sweden, which defeated Latvia 5-1 in the opening round of the playoff bracket. Including that win, Sweden has a 3-1 record in Milan, with its only loss coming against Finland in group stage play.

Currently, the Americans are favored -1.5 on the puck line and -235 on the moneyline according to BetMGM Sportsbook. This will be America's first true test in the Olympics.

Tale of the Tape

This will be the first time Team USA has faced Sweden since its 2-1 defeat to the Swedes in the 4 Nations Face Off one year ago. Sweden won that game, rallying for two late goals after the Americans took a 1-0 lead.

Both Team USA and Canada boast full NHL rosters, making this a fairly evenly matched contest. The U.S. has shown a fairly dominant offense paired with a strong defense; however, they have not played the cleanest hockey.

Players such as Tage Thompson, Auston Matthews, and Brock Faber have been hot lately offensively, especially in the 5-1 win over Germany, and Connor Hellebuyck has stood on his head to make his case for starting goalie moving forward. That said, they have started slowly against meeker opponents in their group, which is not a recipe for success.

Sweden presents a tough challenge, rostering NHL talents such as William Nylander, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mika Zibanejad, among 22 other NHL players. The Swedish defense is also stout with Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman, and Erik Karlsson supporting their goaltender, Jacob Markstrom.

Sweden has outscored opponents 16-10 in four games, with its one loss to Finland being a 4-1 defeat. Sweden is one of three teams with a full NHL roster, next to the U.S. and Canada. Sweden is also a medal favorite alongside the Americans and Canadians.

Who Wins?

This will be a tight and competitive game from start to finish, something the Americans have not seen in Milan so far. That said, I believe the Americans will win this game 3-2. I give the edge to the Americans due to slightly more depth in scoring and solid goaltending in Hellebuyck.

America will have to play a perfect game against Sweden, however. The Swedes are no pushover, showing they have the capability to score and defend just like America against America's group opponents.

It will be interesting to see as the puck drops at 1:10 EST (7:10 Local) this afternoon.