Over three days at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Men’s Hockey Tournament continues to deliver plenty of excitement. Whether it has been close games or exciting plays, the tournament has not failed to entertain. Heading into the second-to-last day of preliminary-round play, all four teams from Group B will be finishing their final games and looking to secure a strong position heading into the knockout stage of the tournament.
Sweden vs Slovakia (6:10 a.m.)
Coming into their third game of the tournament, the Swedes are still looking for their first win of the 2026 Olympics. In their most recent loss, they fell to Finland 4-1 on Feb. 13. Their goaltending has been underwhelming so far, and they will need whoever is in net to play a stronger game if they want to win their final preliminary-round game. A shakeup in the lineup could be a route to get the offense rolling for Sweden as well.
Overall, the Swedes again have the advantage in skill and depth over their opponent, but execution will be the name of the game if they want to beat Slovakia today.
Slovakia enters today’s matchup after a hard-fought win over the host country, Italy, on Feb. 13. Juraj Slafovský (Montreal Canadiens) continued his strong start to the Olympics with another point in their 3-2 win over the Italians and they are getting production from their top players, but will need to get a bit more from the rest of their lineup if they want to send the Swedes into the qualifiers winless.
Favorite: Sweden
Germany vs Latvia (6:10 a.m.)
Two teams fighting for what will likely be the second-place spot in Group C behind the United States, this matchup should be a tight one. The Germans come into the game after winning their opening game on Feb. 12 against Denmark. They were unsurprisingly led by Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) and Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) up front in the win, and these two will be key players for the Germans again against Latvia. Handling the hard-working Latvians and taking advantage of what is given to them will be key for Germany to grab their second win of this year’s Olympics.
Latvia fell to the United States 5-1 in their first game, and while the Germans do have the talent in Draisaitl, Stützle, and JJ Peterka (Utah Mammoth), they do not possess the depth that the Americans do, so the Latvians could use their non-stop, in-your-face style of play to get some extra offensive chances. In Latvia’s loss to the United States, 2026 NHL Draft-eligible defenseman Alberts Šmits was solid and looked right at home against some of the best players the Americans have to offer.
Who will be in the net for Latvia will be something to keep an eye on, as Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets) was pulled against the United States in favor of Artūs Šilovs (Pittsburgh Penguins). Whoever is the man in between the pipes will be counted on to keep the star players of Germany at bay.
Favorite: Germany
Finland vs Italy (10:40 a.m.)
A bounce-back game against Sweden in their second game of the Olympics puts Finland in a solid spot heading into their final game of the preliminary round. The Finns got a real strong showing from Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), stopping 34 shots in their 4-1 win over the Swedes. In a big game for seeding purposes, he very well could be in line to play his third game in a row. The depth of the Finnish roster showed up as well, getting contributions throughout the entire lineup. If they can get this out of the lineup again, they should have great success against Italy.
The Italians have put up a strong fight in both of their games at this year’s Olympics, though they have come up short in both. They will need to continue that play again against the Finns to stand a chance in this game. After coming up just short against the Slovaks yesterday, they could carry some momentum into today’s game and will certainly not make things easy for Finland. In the end, though, the Finnish depth and overall talent will likely be too much for Italy to keep up with.
Favorite: Finland
United States vs Denmark (3:10 p.m.)
After putting up a real strong performance in their opening win against the Latvians, the Americans head into today’s matchup against Denmark with plenty of momentum and confidence. They got contributions and strong play from every line against Latvia, and that should be expected once again when they look to move to 2-0 in preliminary round play. Keeping the Danes’ likely starting goaltender, Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes), busy will be a key for the Americans to get off to a strong start and build an early lead.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
Denmark will face a massive uphill battle to hang with the Americans’ skill and depth in this game. The likes of Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning) will likely play every bit of 20-plus minutes again today and will be counted on to get some offense going. On the backend of the ice, they will need a strong defensive showing and goaltending from whoever is in net (likely Andersen) to keep things close.
Favorite: United States
Tournament in Full Stride
With each team having played at least once now, the 2026 Olympics Men’s Tournament is in full swing. Things are starting to take shape, and the four games today will certainly be the most important for each country as they look to either finish their preliminary round on a high note (Group B) or set themselves up well for their third game on Feb. 15.
