U.S. Men’s Hockey Remains Unbeaten At Olympics Advances To the Knockout Stage

MILAN, Italy — The U.S. men’s ice hockey team finished the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics unbeaten and secured the No. 2 seed in the knockout stage after a 5-1 victory over Germany on Sunday. The result completes a perfect group stage, setting Team USA up for a bye into the quarterfinals of the Milan-Cortina Olympic men’s hockey tournament.

The Americans capped their group play run with a dominant performance against Germany in their final match of preliminary action. Captain Auston Matthews scored twice and added an assist, while goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves in the game. “The confidence just continues to grow within our group,” Matthews said after the win in Milan.

Team USA closed group play 3-0, following earlier victories over Latvia and Denmark to stay unbeaten. In their opener against Latvia, the U.S. generated a 5-1 victory with Brock Nelson scoring twice and contributions from Tage Thompson and Matthews. Despite early challenges including two disallowed goals, the Americans took control with a three-goal second period to deliver the win.

In their second preliminary game, Team USA held off Denmark in a 6-3 win to maintain momentum and build a perfect record. After falling behind early, Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel provided key offense, and Noah Hanifin’s goal helped the U.S. pull ahead for good. The victory improved the U.S. standing to 2-0 in the group and kept them in lockstep with Canada atop the pool.

Sunday’s win over Germany not only maintained Team USA’s unblemished group stage record but also clinched a bye directly into the quarterfinals. By finishing with the second seed, the U.S. avoided the qualification playoff round and will wait to see whether Sweden or Latvia will be their opponent in a single-elimination matchup.

Germany’s lone goal in the game came from Tim Stutzle late in the contest, but it was insufficient to stem the tide of U.S. offense. Zach Werenski opened the scoring for the Americans late in the first period, and the U.S. continued to apply pressure with balanced production up and down the lineup.

Coach Mike Sullivan praised the performance, noting the U.S. executed its game plan. “I thought it was our most complete game of the tournament,” Sullivan said following the win. “As this tournament starts to move forward, the stakes get higher, the competition gets stiffer, and I think our guys are excited for that challenge.”

Team captain Matthews reflected on the team’s chemistry as a factor in going unbeaten. “Each game I think we’ve taken steps in the right direction of where we want to grow our game going into the quarterfinals,” he said.

The U.S. men’s hockey team’s unbeaten preliminary run came against Group C opponents that did not include the deepest Olympic rosters, and Canada ultimately secured top overall seed in pool play with a 10-2 rout of France, which put them ahead of the U.S. on goal differential. Canada will not face the U.S. until a potential gold medal matchup, according to current Olympic brackets.

Sweden looms as a possible quarterfinal opponent; the European squad won two of its three preliminary games but finished seventh after a goal-differential tiebreaker. Sweden’s roster includes NHL players and presents a tougher test for the Americans as single-elimination play approaches.

The U.S. will now prepare for their quarterfinal matchup, scheduled after the qualification games conclude. With group play behind them, the Americans must navigate the sudden-death format as they look to reach the semifinals and keep medal hopes alive in Milan and Cortina.

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