After Canada's utter domination of the Czech Republic earlier Thursday, it might have taken a miracle performance for the United States to match its Canadian brethren.
They practically did, anyway.
Team USA beat Latvia, 5-1, in the final men's hockey game of the day and kept pace with Canada and Sweden as the top team in each group. The top four teams in the 12-team tournament will get automatic spots in the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight will begin a single-elimination tournament to join them. Every game past the group stage is single-elimination except for the semifinals, in which the losing team plays the other for the bronze medal.
Very impressive win for Team USA over Latvia, 5-1, to begin their Olympic run.
— Chris Vosters (@CJVosters) February 12, 2026
After a quirky first period with two disallowed goals, the U.S. didn’t bat an eye and calmly dominated the final 40 minutes. Gonna be a fun group to watch the next 10 days.
The Americans entered the Olympics in a practical tie with Canada as far as expected gold-medalists go. Nothing has happened in the two days' worth of games so far to suggest that's changed. Canada holds a slight lead for the No. 1 seed by virtue of a plus-5 goal differential against the United States' plus-four. But that's hardly a margin that can't be overcome.
Canada may have slightly easier time of things for the rest of group play, but only barely. Canada beat the expected second-place finisher in the group, which it has already beaten. Latvia, on the other hand, is no better than the third-best team on paper in Group C. Perhaps even fourth best. The Canadians return to the ice on Friday against Switzerland, a team similar to the Czech Republic. The U.S. is off until Saturday, when they play Denmark. The Danes lost to Germany on Thursday, 3-1, while the Swiss team beat France, 4-0.
Odds for the two powerhouse hockey countries kept them both as clear-cut favorites after two days. In "The Athletic's" forecast, Canada now has a 43% chance of winning gold, while the United States has a 38% chance. Their status as potential quarterfinalists is practically a lock, as each team has a greater than 99% chance. And for the semifinals, Canada is at 86%, while the United States is at 84%.
Given that Swayman also played at Worlds, which Guerin has said is a big determining factor, it seems pretty clear that Oettinger is probably the third goalie in this tournament for now. https://t.co/YJIhuU0Sae
— Robert Tiffin (@RobertTiffin) February 12, 2026
As for Dallas Stars fans, Thursday brought mixed emotions. Goalie Jake Oettinger ended up a healthy scratch as Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck received the start, and Boston's Jeremy Swayman dressed out as his backup. As Blackout Dallas' Brian Sweet wrote, that snub might do the Stars some good when the players return to their club teams at the end of the month.
Back in Italy, though, Canada and the United States remain on a crash course, and now, after every team has played in the tournament, the wreck appears inevitable.