The boisterous men representing the stars and stripes for Team USA hockey had as great of a preliminary round as they could ask for. Head coach Mike Sullivan guided his Star-Spangled squad won Group C en route to a perfect 3-0-0-0 mark with resounding victories against Latvia, Denmark, and Germany.
America’s boys outscored their Olympic opponents by a 16-5 margin; their goal differential of +11 ranked second best in the preliminaries, behind only juggernaut Team Canada, who won Group A with a +17 scoring differential.
The U.S. did clinch an automatic bye into the quarterfinals, but they’ll be the No. 2 seed in the single-elimination stage, behind the vaunted Canadians. Having needed a 10-goal triumph over Germany to clinch the top seed, Team USA will face the winner of the Sweden-Latvia qualification playoff game in the quarterfinals.
Despite some lethargic starts to the games and a few mishaps, Free Bird played very often in the United States’ opening triumvirate of Olympic competition. Uncle Sam’s Squad is firing on all cylinders as they look ahead to the win-or-go-home games.
Auston Matthews was the clear and obvious choice for Team USA’s captaincy. During these Olympics, commentators and spectators have both taken note of the fact that Matthews has added a new dimension to his game that he’s been criticized for lacking: clutch play.
Matthews’ frequent net-front presence and opportunistic scoring at Milano has been a talking point for hockey fans, as well as some apparently unfamiliar extracurricular activity after the whistle. While he is undoubtedly one of the best goal-scorers of his generation, Matthews’ 26 goals in 68 playoff games has been a prominent critique in an otherwise brilliant career. This man is, after all, a three-time Rocket Richard Trophy recipient. He’s also taken home the Calder Memorial Trophy and a Hart Memorial Trophy. Those feats don’t even include the fact that he has the record for most goals scored in a single season by an American-born player, in addition to the single-season goal record of the salary cap era.
Whether Big Cactus’ burgeoning intensity can be attributed to the Olympic atmosphere or his camaraderie with his fellow Americans, one thing is for sure: he’s at the top of his game at the perfect time. Matthews has three goals and five points through three games, both of which lead Team USA. Two of those goals were scored against Germany on Sunday night.
A continued performance like this on the world stage not only bolsters Team USA’s gold medal aspirations; it can also change the narrative about Auston Matthews’ career.
The American hockey team can be described as a family. Literally.
Jack and Quinn Hughes, along with Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, comprise two sets of brothers. The most unreal aspect of their familial ties and Olympic partnership isn’t just playing together and representing their country, either.
Brady Tkachuk gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead at 5:29 of the first against Latvia, scoring from the top of the right face-off circle after his brother Matthew chipped a pass ahead to him. Scoring his first Olympic goal with an assist from his brother is something that couldn’t be scripted by Hollywood.
Team USA’s lineage hardly stops with the Tkachuks and Hugheses.
Brock Nelson is a third-generation Olympic goal scorer. Bill Christian, Nelson’s 88-year-old grandfather, was a forward on the United States team that won the nation’s first gold medal in men’s hockey at the 1960 Olympic Winter Games in California.
Nelson’s uncle, Dave Christian, won a gold medal as a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. The Nelson family hockey dynasty goes back even further, too. Another great uncle of Nelson’s, Gord Christian, won silver at the 1956 Olympics.
The late Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were fatally struck by a drunk driver on the eve of their sister’s wedding in August of 2024. Johnny Gadreau would have been a virtual lock for Team USA’s roster, but his locker is still occupied.
It just means more at the Olympics – and especially in this case, it’s more than playing for one’s country. It’s about honoring a friend whose life was cut way too short. Johnny Gaudreau may not physically be there at Milano, but his presence has been palpable for Team USA.
While there have been some cringeworthy on-ice mishaps for the Americans, there is no question that Team USA has been, for the most part, been playing fundamentally sound hockey.
Of the dozen different countries competing for gold, the United States is the only team that hasn’t allowed a power play goal yet; their penalty killing has been perfect. Only Canada’s power play unit has been better. Team USA’s top power play quintet of Quinn Hughes, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Tage Thompson and Matthew Tkachuk has netted a goal on three of seven chances with the man advantage.
Much like Auston Matthews, goalie Connor Hellebuyck has faced his share of criticism for underperforming under the bright lights. But in the Olympics, the three-time Vezina Trophy winner has been the best net minder. Hellebuyck’s .952 save percentage leads all goalies at Milano, and he’s surrendered just two goals.
The scoring depth has bene ample, too. 11 different Team USA players have gotten the puck into the net, and four have multiple tallies. 12 Americans have produced at least four scoring chances.
Like any team sport, most hockey games are won with fundamentally sound play and complementary performances. Mike Sullivan’s team has done just that.
It was a mostly dominant showing for the Americans in Group C during the preliminary round. But all of the fervor and triumph from the first three games can be discarded now, because it’s do-or-die. No more lethargic starts or discombobulated puck management for the Stars and Stripes.
It’s one thing to start slow against non-hockey powers like Latvia, Denmark, and Germany. No disrespect to any of those countries, but it’s obvious that none of them will be going for gold. On the other hand, there is Sweden, widely considered the third-best team entering the Olympics, although they’ve barely played like it.
Sweden did not win Group B, and astonishingly finished third. For the right to play Team USA in the quarterfinals, they’ll have to play against Latvia in the qualification playoff.
Despite Sweden’s enervated performance in the preliminaries, neither Team USA nor anybody else should overlook the Swedes. Lucas Raymond and Rasmus Dahlin have both been excellent; and Mika Zibanejad, despite having just one goal so far, has generated eight scoring chances. All it takes is a different location or puck bounce for those to become goals. Sweden’s real issue has been goaltending; neither Filip Gustavsson nor Jacob Markström have been very good thus far. It seems that the Swedes have a net minder controversy.
HockeyStats.com gives the Three Crowns an 88 percent chance of beating Latvia, so a Team USA-Sweden quarterfinal game is all but guaranteed. History should be considered here, because the Americans are 6-7-2 all-time against Sweden in Olympic play.
Team USA mostly cruised through the prelims, but now the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. May the best team win.
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